Week 2 Tight End Preview: Stick With Colston Loveland
Top Fantasy TEs for Week 2
Let's break down the key usage notes and matchups that are driving our Week 2 TE Rankings.
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1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
Week 1 looked a lot like last season for McBride: 9 catches for 95 yards and a score on 13 targets (35.1% share). Next up is a Seattle defense that he beat for 7-52-0 and 9-127-1 lines last year.
2. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
You can ignore Loveland's Week 1 goose egg. Our own Shane Hallam reviewed the film and made the case that Loveland's stat line lied. Caleb Williams' encouraging opener and Loveland's TE-leading 89% route rate make the second-year TE a confident fantasy starter.
3. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
Despite the Colts finishing with the fifth fewest passing yards in Week 1, Warren still finished as the TE14. He drew a 16.1% target share to open the season, but given that he commanded a 20.5% target share last year, becoming the fourth rookie TE to ever achieve at least 20%, his target volume is expected to increase. Combine that with a passing yards uptick from Week 1 and Warren projects as a high-end TE1 in Week 2.
4. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Played Thursday night.
5. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
Played Thursday night.
6. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
Goedert's TD fortune from 2025 spilled over into Week 1, when he scored twice against Washington. That came against last season's second-friendliest TE defense. Tennessee this week ran neutral against TE scoring last year, according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed, but the Titans present no reason to be against Goedert as a solid option.
7. Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
Brock Bowers has remained out of practice this week with a knee injury, putting his availability for Week 2 in doubt. That has major implications for Michael Mayer's projection, who has produced 10.6 PPR points per game in games without Bowers compared to just 3.5 with him since the start of 2024. Mayer produced 9.2 points without Bowers in Week 1, but in a matchup where the game script shouldn't suppress as many pass attempts, he projects as a TE1.
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8. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Kelce's production has decreased each of the past three seasons, going from 14.6 PPR points per game, to 12.2, to 11.4 last season. The Chiefs TE finishing Week 1 with 10.1 PPR points is an alarming result given his recent production trend. Fortunately, he faces a Colts defense that surrendered the fifth most points to TEs last season, leaving Kelce with a TE1 projection in Week 2.
9. Isaiah Likely, New York Giants
Likely is coming off a career-high 27.8 PPR point Giants debut that earned him a TE1 overall ranking in Week 1. Likely expects to be a prominent target earner in this offense after an opening week 27.6% target share that only trailed Trey McBride. In a matchup against the Rams, Likely projects as a TE1.
10. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
Kraft's return from a torn ACL produced a predictably low 48% route rate, which ranked 31st among Week 1 TEs. His usage could increase in Week 2, but we still don't expect a full-time role yet. The positive is a matchup with a Jets pass defense that could be without S Minkah Fitzpatrick.
11. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Johnson had a strong Week 1, catching 3 of 7 targets for 54 yards and a TD. The Saints throwing the ball 58 times certainly helped, but it was a good start for Johnson’s 2026. Tyler Warren scored a TD against the Ravens last week, so Johnson should have a shot to finish as a top-12 option at the position.
12. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Andrews led the Ravens in target percentage at 35.7% in Week 1. He got 5 targets after Zay Flowers' injury, so if Flowers doesn’t play this week, Andrews could earn a ton of targets. That makes him a strong TE1 play against a Saints defense that gave up 5 catches to Sam LaPorta in Week 1.
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13. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns
Fannin's quiet Week 1 wasn't too surprising, given that Deshaun Watson only managed 16 completions. The most worrisome part is that the TE's opportunities didn't stand out. He tied No. 2 RB Raheim Sanders for fourth on the team with just 3 targets, watching WRs KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, and Jerry Jeudy beat him. We're not quitting on Fannin already, but you'll find him lower in our Week 2 rankings than where he opened the season. We'll see how variable the target distribution proves to be under Watson and first-time HC Todd Monken.
14. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Dalton Schultz accounted for a 21.1% target share in the season opener only trailing Nico Collins for the team lead. But his lack of efficiency was on full display, producing 0.92 yards per team pass attempt that ranked 21st among all TEs despite commanding a target share that ranked fifth. With Collins in jeopardy of missing Week 2 with a hamstring injury, Schultz is in line for another high target game, giving him a TE2 projection.
15. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
Hockenson's 5 targets ranked second on the Vikings in Week 1. All but one came from backup QB Carson Wentz, who's expected to start in Week 2. That established connection helps Hockenson climb the TE2 ranks against a Chicago defense that surrendered 37 points to Carolina in the opener.
16. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Kittle posted just a 47% route rate in his first game action since tearing his Achilles. His usage could increase against Miami, but we don't expect him to return to his normal role as he continues working back into form. That leaves Kittle as a TE2.
17. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
Ferguson will have a target-share issue as long as CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are healthy. The matchup and game situation put him in play, though. Washington provided the league's second-largest TE-scoring boost last season, and this game carries the week's second-highest projected point total (50.5). Ferguson managed one good outing and one bad vs. Washington last season, both with Lamb and Pickens around.
18. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
Strange caught 2 of 3 targets for 23 yards and a TD. He appeared to sit as a first read end-zone target, which should bode well for his potential to score TDs. The Jaguars do have a number of weapons, so Strange likely won’t be a consistent performer. Travis Kelce led the Chiefs with 71 yards against the Broncos defense last week, which gives Strange enough promise to be a mid-range TE2 this week.
19. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Not only did Pitts get goose-egged by Cooper Rush last week, but his 81% route rate was down from last year’s 92%. Try to park him on your bench this week against the Panthers, who surprisingly held Bears TE Colston Loveland without a catch in the opener.
20. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Henry caught three passes for 26 yards with rookie TE Eli Raridon getting the only TD of the week for the Patriots. A.J. Brown missing time with injury should help Henry get a few more targets, but he still looks like a TE who needs a TD to pay off against a Steelers defense that held Kyle Pitts without a catch (though Cooper Rush was at QB).
21. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Freiermuth had a strong Week 1, catching all 5 targets for 46 yards and a TD. It appears Freiermuth will be the pass-catching TE while Darnell Washington is used to block plenty. The Steelers offense is pretty volatile, so it still remains hard to trust Freiermuth. He comes out as a solid TE2 this week.
22. Evan Engram, Denver Broncos
Engram was the one Broncos weapon to actually perform last week, catching 4 passes for 43 yards and a TD. The Broncos just couldn’t push the ball downfield much, so Engram paid off as an underneath option for Bo Nix. Don’t expect this production to stick, but he can still be a desperation TE2.
23. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Even in a game that found the Bucs trailing by 2+ scores most of the way and sending Otton the third-most targets, the TE managed just a 3-26 receiving line against the Bengals. He's simply a guy you use when you have no better options, not a player worth chasing.
24. A.J. Barner, Seattle Seahawks
Barner gets a Cardinals defense that ranked 28th vs. TEs last year and gave up 7 catches for 90 yards to Chargers TEs in the 2026 opener. But he’d be tough to trust as a TE1 after drawing just 2 targets on a 70% route rate last week.
25. Greg Dulcich, Miami Dolphins
Dulcich managed only 2 catches for 18 yards in Sunday's loss to Vegas. The encouraging part was his 76% route rate, a level that can support fantasy production. Miami should again be forced to pass late at San Francisco, but the 49ers, led by LB Fred Warner, aren't a favorable matchup after holding the Rams to only 7 points.
