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Hey, we had football last week and the world didn’t end! Here’s to hoping that all of these guys stay safe and we get to continue to enjoy yapping about fantasy football all year in 2020. With no further ado, let’s scope out the tight end rankings for Week 2...
1 Travis Kelce @ LAC
2 Mark Andrews @ HOU
3 George Kittle @ NYJ
Kittle gets dropped two spots this week due to the sprained knee.
4 Zach Ertz vs. LAR
5 Jared Cook @ LV
6 Hunter Henry vs. KC
I’d say this is the end of a tier. Michael Thomas’ multi-week absence due to injury gives Jared Cook a boost from mid-range to nearly elite, in my opinion.
7 Darren Waller vs. NO
8 T.J. Hockenson @ GB
9 Jonnu Smith vs. JAC
10 Noah Fant @ PIT
11 Dallas Goedert vs. LAR
12 Evan Engram @ CHI
You could probably include Waller into the tier above this one due to the volume he’ll likely command in 2020. But he doesn’t carry the same scoring upside as Cook or Henry, so I have him leading this tier. Hockenson has a great chance to move up even further in the coming weeks due to the Kenny Golladay injury. I may be a little low on Goedert this week compared to the consensus...I like him as a top 12 guy but he’s still 1B to Ertz’s 1A. For now I’m giving the nod to guys like Jonnu and Fant who are arguably within the top two options on their squads over a guy like Engram. I’d love to push Engram higher, but he wasn’t efficient on his targets in Week 1 and it always seems like something is going on with him. I hope I’m wrong on him, as I’m pretty invested in him and will be forced to start him in some places this week.
13 Austin Hooper vs. CIN
14 Tyler Higbee @ PHI
15 Hayden Hurst @ DAL
Maybe Hurst should lead this grouping. I think he has a lot of upside, but the Falcons are also loaded. I mean, slot man Russell Gage had 12 targets in Week 1, even. However, Hooper and Higbee have solid track records and each should get a boost in Week 2 due to injury—David Njoku and Gerald Everett are both injured. I’m holding out hope for Hurst, but he is on a new team and we’ve only had one game. As he continues to acclimate I think things will go well. For now, I’m toning down my expectations.
16 Logan Thomas @ ARI
17 Mike Gesicki vs. BUF
18 Jack Doyle vs. MIN
19 Rob Gronkowski vs. CAR
20 Eric Ebron vs. DEN
Here we have Logan Thomas off of a strong Week 1, facing what was the premier matchup for tight ends last year. Gesicki saw a modest five targets in Week 1, but it was encouraging that no other tight end saw a target for Miami after the whole depth chart debacle. You can chase some volume with Doyle in PPR formats, or you can chase some scores with Gronk and Ebron in standard formats, if you’re digging this deep.
21 Chris Herndon IV vs. SF
22 Ian Thomas @ TB
23 Irv Smith Jr. @ IND
24 Dawson Knox @ MIA
Herndon was second for the Jets in opportunity in Week 1, his seven targets trailing only Jamison Crowder’s 13. You could make an argument for him ahead of Gronk and Ebron, but I do like those guys as scorers and am giving them one more week to prove it to me. After that, I’m chasing the upside of youth in Thomas, Smith Jr., and Knox.
25 Greg Olsen vs. NE
26 C.J. Uzomah @ CLE
27 O.J. Howard vs. CAR
28 Jimmy Graham vs. NYG
29 Dan Arnold vs. WAS
30 Jordan Akins vs. BAL
Uzomah saw five targets in Week 1 and looks like the lead TE for the Bengals. It’s possible he works his way into consistent TE2 or streaming territory, but right now that’s a full depth chart to contend with. It’s possible we see Arnold and Akins climb the ladder this year, too—just based on their opportunities. You’re digging super-deep in this grouping, but it’s still not without upside. Good luck predicting when it will happen, though!