Week 3 Fantasy Football Tight End Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Matchups

Major injuries don't just affect the players who go down or the guys who step into the vacated roles. There's a trickle-down effect that takes away from those who rely on the injured star for their own positive performance.

The most obvious cases are pass catchers who rely on their quarterbacks to get them the ball. When Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, and Jaxson Dart all go down in one week, the ceilings of around 10 receivers and tight ends drop also. That makes finding streamers and matchups that much more important.

Let's look at three tight ends to start and three to sit in Week 3 of the fantasy football season. Most stats are from NFL.com, and fantasy points and rankings are from FantasyPros.

Use FantasySP's start/sit tool to compare players and make your toughest lineup decisions!

Start

AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks @ Washington Commanders

Barner saw a jump in his stats last season after a fairly anonymous rookie year, but he still topped out as a middling fantasy player better left for streaming. While it wouldn't be a surprise to see him keep improving, Barner hasn't made a receiving impact this season, catching just three passes for 21 yards. His biggest contribution in fantasy was scoring a rushing touchdown at the end of Week 2 on a Tush Push.

His matchup this week is superb, though, as the Commanders have given up the fifth-most yards per pass attempt and the second-most fantasy points to tight ends; they were among the four worst in both areas last year as well. Dallas Goedert and Jake Ferguson both scored two touchdowns against Washington, and while they won't allow two scores per game to TEs, the Commanders are likely to keep struggling against the position.

Barner is a lower-level player himself, but the matchup here is too good to ignore. Sam Darnold might be back for this one, and Barner gets a little extra value from being the guy who handles the ball on the Tush Push, giving him a slight chance to score short touchdowns.

Kenyon Sadiq, New York Jets @ Detroit Lions

While the Lions are just a little worse than average in terms of yards per pass attempt allowed, they have given up the most fantasy points to TEs through two weeks. Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant combined for 87 yards and two scores in Week 1, then Dalton Kincaid went off on Thursday Night Football last week, catching seven passes for 95 yards and another TD.

That bolds well for Sadiq, the only tight end drafted in the first round this year. He hasn't made a huge impact yet, catching five passes for 38 yards, but like Barner, he scored a rushing touchdown, helping his fantasy score look a little better. While Sadiq has a high ceiling in the future, it might take a few years to reach it, especially playing in a middling-at-best offense.

With the matchup in his favor, though, Sadiq is an interesting option in fantasy this week. There's definite risk involved, but this could be his first real performance that shows the potential he possesses.

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts

In our weekly waiver previews, I said that Schultz was set up to have a middling matchup this week against Indianapolis and might not be the best pickup despite a phenomenal game against the Bengals last week (12 receptions and 140 yards). Well, while I don't think the Colts will be the worst pass defense in football all season, they are allowing the most yards per pass attempt and the fifth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends.

Part of the issue is that Indy played against Lamar Jackson then Patrick Mahomes; that'll make any defense look bad. Mark Andrews had four catches for 49 yards in Week 1, then Travis Kelce went off on Sunday night, racking up 101 yards and a touchdown on nine catches. Those are two veterans with a lot of great games in their pockets; things will get better for the Colts.

The numbers say that Schultz has the outlook for another good game here, though, so I'm listing him as a player to start. Don't sit one of your top guys for him, but if you're short at the position or only have middling options, Schultz might be in line for another successful game.

Sit

Evan Engram, Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Rams

Engram never really found the production that was expected when he came to Denver, as some thought he would fill the “Joker” role that has brought intrigue in Sean Payton offenses in the past. He had a decent Week 1, catching four passes for 43 yards and a touchdown, but Engram had just one reception on one target last week; that's emblematic of what we can expect from moving forward, with a few good games but plenty of weaker performances.

The Rams also offer one of the tougher matchups, ranking among the five best in both yards per pass attempt allowed and fantasy points given up to tight ends. They were better than average in both areas last season as well. I don't want to try too many fantasy players against LA, particularly not guys with floors as low as Engram's.

Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Loveland started his rookie season slowly before coming on at the end of 2025, showing the upside that made him a top-10 pick. That hasn't carried over to this year, as Loveland has just one catch for three yards. He has been on the field for over 85% of the snaps, but he just hasn't found the ball yet.

While that's likely to change eventually, this might not be the week. On top of questions around his QB Williams (and backup Tyson Bagent), the Eagles are a tough defensive matchup. Philly has allowed the eighth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the second-fewest fantasy points to TEs through two weeks, matching their top-five performance in both areas last year.

I still like the odds of Loveland having a fine season moving forward, but I don't want any part of him in Week 3. Quarterback issues bring enough problems, but throwing in a terrible matchup only exacerbates the downside.

Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots

Strange showed much better efficiency last season than he did in his first two years, setting career highs in everything despite only playing 12 games. He's still a bit of a low-floor, low-ceiling player, though, and he has to contend with a strong trio of wide receivers for targets. While he scored a touchdown in Week 1, Strange has just four receptions and 40 yards through two games.

He also draws a tough matchup in this one, as the Patriots have given up the fifth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the sixth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends. Things have been in their favor, as they faced Seattle's backup then an aged Aaron Rodgers, but New England had a good defense last year, so it's not a surprise to see them excel. This is another case of a middling player with a poor matchup; leave Strange on the bench.