Fantasy Football Week 3 Tight End Start/Sit: Kyle Pitts, Mike Gesicki, Jonnu Smith and More

Three tight ends to start and three to sit in Week 3 of the fantasy football season.

Tight ends are taken for granted. They do a lot of dirty work, just like linemen, and are rewarded usually with short passes and the occasional target in the end zone.

At least with offensive linemen, we know they are undervalued and make a point to recognize what they do. Tight ends don’t get the same love for their sacrifice unless they are dominant as blockers, like Rob Gronkowski.

They are fantasy players, though, so we will always talk about tight ends when it comes to start/sit decisions and who is best positioned to succeed. A lot of it often depends on who scores a touchdown, which is impossible to predict, but we can also determine who has the best chance to catch the ball and gain yards while hoping our guy falls into the end zone.

Let’s look at three guys to start and three to sit in Week 3. There will be a lot of “fantasy points allowed to tight ends” referenced, and those numbers are from Pro Football Reference.

Start

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Denver Broncos

This is all about the matchup. Otton hasn’t been involved much in the offense, but he has been on the field a lot, playing 86% of the snaps in Week 1 and 100% in Week 2. He has been anonymous, though, catching just one pass on four targets, and that makes him a big risk to put in your lineup.

The Broncos were the worst team against fantasy tight ends last year, and it wasn’t even close. Noah Fant didn’t do much against the team in Week 1, but the Seahawks seemingly never use their tight end, so I’m not basing too much off that.

While Justin Fields didn’t throw much last week, TE Pat Freiermuth was his top target, catching four passes for 39 yards. Both of those numbers accounted for about one-third of Fields’ total production.

We’re not looking for anything huge from Otton this week: He’s a low-level streamer who could bottom out if he follows the script of the first two weeks. If you are desperate and need someone, though, Otton is likely a free agent and has a good matchup.

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons vs. Kansas City Chiefs

I’m mostly suggesting that you sit quarterbacks and receivers against the Chiefs, but they have been very giving to tight ends over the first two weeks. In Week 1, Isaiah Likely had nine receptions, 111 yards and a touchdown.

Mike Gesicki continued the trend in Week 2, going off for seven receptions and 91 yards. Both players led their team in both receptions and yards in their game against Kansas City. With L'Jarius Sneed leaving in the offseason, maybe KC’s defense made changes to help lock down receivers, leaving more room for tight ends.

Or maybe this is just a small-sample anomaly that will regress beginning this week. The Chiefs held down tight ends last year the same way they did everyone else, ranking in the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to the position.

The most likely outcome is that they get back to their old ways and defend tight ends well, but there is something here that allowed two players to excel against KC.

After a big rookie season, Pitts has been wildly disappointing the last two years and has started this season modestly as well. Through the first two weeks, Pitts has combined for six receptions, 46 yards and a touchdown. His fantasy performance would be untenable without that TD.

Pitts is another risky play, but has more upside than a guy like Otton. Kirk Cousins coming to town was supposed to help Pitts find his rookie magic, but we haven’t seen it yet. Pitts is another guy you can get in your lineup mostly because of the matchup.

Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins @ Seatle Seahawks

Seattle was in the middle against fantasy tight ends last year. In Week 1 against the Broncos, they allowed just two catches and 12 yards to TE Greg Dulcich. With rookie quarterback Bo Nix struggling hard in Denver, though, I don’t want to use that as my most important data point.

Week 2 looked much different: Hunter Henry had his best game as a pro, catching eight passes for 109 yards (tying and setting his career highs, respectively). New England is a team without any high-level receivers, so it’s not surprising to see the ball funneled to the tight end.

While Miami has two star receivers, the quarterback situation might see those players compromised for at least the next month while Tua Tagovailoa is on IR. Skylar Thompson just isn’t going to play at a high level the way Tua does, limiting all pass catchers.

The average pass will probably travel a shorter distance, favoring backs and tight ends a little more. Tyreek Hill will surely catch screens and slants, but full routes might see the tight end get more usage.

Smith has caught seven passes for 60 yards so far; he could reach that mark in Week 3 alone if more volume starts heading his way in an altered system. Smith won’t turn into Travis Kelce, but he might be worth a flier if you’re desperate for an option.

Sit

Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars @ Buffalo Bills

Engram missed Week 2 with a hamstring injury suffered in pre-game warmups, and he is questionable for Week 3. Even if he plays, it might be best to leave him on your bench.

The chance of reinjury is always there with a guy suffering from a malady. Other than turning the ball over, the worst thing your fantasy player can do is not play. Engram is going to be a risky player before even considering his opponent.

The Bills have one of the best defenses in the league. They were very good against tight ends last season, ranking fourth in fantasy points allowed to the position. They’ve shown that same tendency in the two games this season.

Arizona’s Trey McBride, a player being drafted as a top-five tight end, caught five passes in Week 1 but gained only 30 yards against the Bills. Miami’s Smith had six receptions for 53 yards, but that came in a game in which the Dolphins were trailing most of the time and threw 40 times.

Engram will also take a lower target share this season after having 143 balls thrown his way last year. His ceiling is lower with decreased volume, so Engram is vulnerable to anonymous games (like Week 1’s one-catch, five-yard performance).

With an uncertain status and a tough matchup, Engram might be best on your bench this week.

Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Washington Commanders

The Commanders have one of the worst pass defenses in the league. It’s been an ongoing issue for a year-plus. That ineptitude hasn’t extended to tight ends, however, as they were a top-10 fantasy team against the position last season and have given up hardly anything in 2024.

Otton caught one pass for five yards against Washington in Week 1, and no Giants tight end caught a pass in Week 2. The Commanders brought in starting linebackers Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner this offseason along with safety Jeremy Chinn, upgrading the talent in the middle of the field. With more talent at those positions, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them continue to excel against tight ends.

Gesicki had the big Week 2 but caught just three passes for 18 yards in the opening game against New England. He had a few big seasons in the early 2020s, but the last two years have been quiet; Gesicki isn’t a can’t-miss player.

With a potentially tough matchup, Gesicki is a guy worth keeping on the bench this week.

Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers

Parkinson was starved for usage in Seattle, working as the second tight end in an offense that rarely threw to the position. You would be forgiven for not knowing who he was before this season.

Stepping into a much better situation in Los Angeles, Parkinson is now starting in a better offense, and with the top two receivers going down with injury, Parkinson might be counted on even more in big spots, like third downs and the red zone.

Parkinson had the best game of his career in Week 1, collecting 47 yards on four catches against the Lions. He had just one catch for 12 yards last week, but it was a game in which the Rams were dominated and ran just 47 offensive plays; it was a weird circumstance, and the whole team struggled.

Don’t expect a bounce-back in Week 3, as the Rams face a tough opponent in the 49ers, a team who shuts down tight ends. They were sixth in fantasy points allowed to tight ends in 2023, and San Fran has given up just three catches for 18 yards to tight ends over the first two weeks.

Parkinson will have useful fantasy weeks, but this probably won’t be one of them. That matchup isn’t in his favor, even if he does get a little bit of an expanded role.

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