The slow starts from Travis Kelce and Sam LaPorta likely have fantasy managers who invested second- or third-round draft capital at the TE position in a state of panic through the first two games of the NFL season.
Here is a closer look at my fantasy football TE rankings for Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season.
Top 30 Fantasy TE Rankings
FIND MORE POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | K | DEF | Flex | SF
1) Brock Bowers | Las Vegas Raiders (vs. CAR)
2) George Kittle | San Francisco 49ers (at LAR)
3) Trey McBride | Arizona Cardinals (vs. DET)
4) Sam LaPorta | Detroit Lions (at ARI)
5) Dalton Kincaid | Buffalo Bills (vs. JAX)
6) Kyle Pitts | Atlanta Falcons (vs. KC)
7) Mark Andrews | Baltimore Ravens (at DAL)
8) Jake Ferguson | Dallas Cowboys (vs. BAL)
9) Evan Engram | Jacksonville Jaguars (at BUF)
10) Isaiah Likely | Baltimore Ravens (at DAL)
11) Hunter Henry | New England Patriots (at NYJ)
12) Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chiefs (at ATL)
13) Dallas Goedert | Philadelphia Eagles (at NO)
14) Jonnu Smith | Miami Dolphins (at SEA)
15) Zach Ertz | Washington Commanders (vs. CIN)
16) Dalton Schultz | Houston Texans (at MIN)
17) Pat Freiermuth | Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. LAC)
18) Mike Gesicki | Cincinnati Bengals (vs. WAS)
19) Colby Parkinson | Los Angeles Rams (vs. SF)
20) Taysom Hill | New Orleans Saints (vs. PHI)
21) Cole Kmet | Chicago Bears (at IND)
22) Tucker Kraft | Green Bay Packers (at TEN)
23) Noah Fant | Seattle Seahawks (vs. MIA)
24) Tyler Conklin | New York Jets (vs. NE)
25) Jordan Akins | Cleveland Browns (vs. NYG)
26) Greg Dulcich | Denver Broncos (at TB)
27) Chigoziem Okonkwo | Tennessee Titans (vs. GB)
28) Cade Otton | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. DEN)
29) Hayden Hurst | Los Angeles Chargers (at PIT)
30) Luke Schoonmaker | Dallas Cowboys (vs. BAL)
The Top TEs To Start in Week 3
Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Let’s start by taking a look back at how we arrived at another top-three fantasy performance through the first two weeks of Brock Bowers’ NFL career, shall we?
In case you need a refresher, here is a look at Bowers’ usage in his first NFL game and where those usage numbers ranked among his tight end peers.
Bowers’ Week 1 Stats (Positional Rank):
- Routes: 31 (seventh)
- Receptions: six (second)
- Yards: 58 (second)
- Targets: eight (third)
- Yards per Route Run: 1.87 (third among TEs with 20+ routes run)
- Fantasy Finish: TE3 overall in full-PPR formats
Now, let’s take a look at those same numbers and see where he ranks among the position strictly for his Week 2 performance against a stingy Baltimore Ravens defense.
Bowers’ Week 2 Stats (Positional Rank):
- Routes: 28 (ninth)
- Receptions: nine (first)
- Yards: 98 (second)
- Targets: nine (T-second)
- Yards per Route Run: 3.50 (third among TEs with 20+ routes run)
- Fantasy Finish: TE3 overall in full-PPR formats
See a pattern here?
After Bowers saw more snaps, routes, and targets than Michael Mayer in Week 1, that exact same trend continued in Week 2.
MORE: Kyle Soppe’s Week 3 Start/Sit Advice for Every Fantasy-Relevant Player
Bowers managed to do some of this damage against one of the best safeties in the league in Derwin James Jr. in his pro debut and arguably the best safety in the league in Kyle Hamilton in Week 2.
Bowers is the real deal and is a strong contender to finish his rookie year as the TE1 overall in fantasy football.
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
Mike Gesicki has given us brief glimpses of his fantasy upside throughout his NFL career, but his perceived ceiling as a difference-making fantasy TE could actually come to fruition if his Week 2 usage maintains in the coming weeks.
Gesicki caught seven passes for 91 yards on nine targets against the Kansas City Chiefs, which will see him finish as a top-10 fantasy TE in Week 2.
With Tee Higgins hurt and Ja’Marr Chase off to a slow start, Gesicki is a great play against a leaky Washington Commanders secondary in Week 3.