As an example, George Kittle is listed below as a "start" for Week 2. And I'd feel comfortable going into Week 2 with him as my starting tight end.
That said, he may be a sit for your team.
In other words, if you owned both Travis Kelce and Kittle, you should start Kelce -- and in turn, bench Kittle.
So while you won't find absolute start-sit recommendations below (use my Week 2 Fantasy Football Rankings for that instead), the goal here is to highlight some players that I like (and would feel comfortable starting) as well as some players that I dislike for this week (and would prefer to keep on my bench).
Week 2 Fantasy Football TE Start'em
TE - George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (vs. DET)
Things could have gone better (i.e., he dropped a wide-open would-be touchdown), but Kittle exceeded expectations in a difficult matchup on the road against the Vikings. While the Vikings allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends in 2017, Kittle had five catches for 90 yards to finish as a top-six performer last week.
Not only is the matchup more favorable this week, but the 49ers will be without top wide receiver Marquise Goodwin. Of course, that boosts the outlook for Pierre Garcon and the team's other receivers, but it also could lead to an extra target or two for Kittle. Either way, I have Kittle ranked inside my top-five fantasy tight ends for Week 2.
TE - Jared Cook, Oakland Raiders (at DEN)
While Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree both had disappointing 2017 seasons for the Raiders, Cook led the team in both receiving yards (688) and 20-yard receptions (10) last season. The (second) Gruden era didn't get off to a great start with the team's 20-point home loss, but Cook was one of the bright spots. The historically up-and-down performer led the team with nine catches for 180 yards. In fact, his 180 yards is tied with Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas for the league lead heading into the weekend. At a minimum, Cook is a viable start for Week 2 even if he doesn't have another 100-yard game.
TE - Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins (vs. IND)
When healthy, there is no denying the talent. Of course, he's often not healthy as Reed has missed four-plus games in four-of-five NFL seasons. That said, he's healthy now and the Washington tight end finished Week 1 with four catches for 48 yards and a touchdown. In a favorable matchup against the Colts, the Redskins are projected to be a top-five scoring offense based on implied totals from Week 2 Vegas odds.
Week 2 Fantasy Football TE Sit'em
TE - Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. PHI)
With the injuries to Delanie Walker and Greg Olsen and the relative weakness at the position in general, there aren't many notable names to include on the sit'em side at the position. Going into the season, however, I expected Brate to have an opportunity to be a high-end TE2. Following his Week 1 dud where Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns (and Brate had an 0-for), he currently sits at TE29 in my rankings. Even though I have teammate O.J. Howard outside my top-12 tight ends, I'd prefer the second-year tight end over Brate for Week 2.
TE - Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills (vs. LAC)
Like Brate, Clay is a player that could have flirted with high-end TE2 production and that still may happen. Given the state of the Buffalo offense, however, it's hard to trust any of the skill-position players outside of LeSean McCoy. Like Brate, Clay finished with a 0/0/0 stat line on two targets in Week 1. If you lost Walker or Olsen, there may still be better options available on your league's waiver wire than Clay in terms of Week 2 outlook.
TE - Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks (at CHI)
It was a great NFL debut for the fourth-round rookie. In their loss to the Broncos, Dissly had three catches for 105 yards and a touchdown on five targets. As typically happens, that led Dissly's one-percent Yahoo! ownership (before waivers cleared) to increase to 29-percent ownership as of Saturday morning. If you're one of the owners that contributed to that +28% ownership increase, you should keep Dissly on your bench. Based on implied totals, the Seahawks are projected to be one of seven teams to score fewer than 20 points this week.
- More Fantasy Football Start'em, Sit'em for Week 2
Week 2 Fantasy Football Rankings:
- Week 2 Fantasy Football QB Rankings
- Week 2 Fantasy Football RB Rankings
- Week 2 Fantasy Football WR Rankings
- Week 2 Fantasy Football TE Rankings
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