Fitz’s Week 2 Rankings, Tiers & Start/Sit Advice (2022 Fantasy Football)

Fitz’s Week 2 Rankings, Tiers & Start/Sit Advice (2022 Fantasy Football)

Isn’t it great that we finally have some new data to chew on? Week 1 answered some of our offseason questions … but it also raised some new questions.

I’m going to walk you through my Week 2 rankings, sort them into tiers, and try to shed light on why I have these players ranked the way I do.

Please realize that these rankings will be updated based on injuries, news items and other factors, so be sure to double-check the rankings before the Sunday games kick off.

Let’s ride.

If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.

QUARTERBACKS

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Tier 1

It’s good to be the king. Josh Allen‘s decimation of the Rams on the road last week suggested that he’s as close to matchup-proof as a quarterback can be.

Tier 2

Based on a 54.5-point over/under and a 4-point spread, the Chiefs have an implied point total of 29.5, the highest of Week 2. Patrick Mahomes looked fantastic in Week 1, and the Chiefs have been sharp early in the season throughout HC Andy Reid’s tenure.

Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson are the best running quarterbacks in the league, and the arrival of A.J. Brown, who went off in Week 1, is going to make Hurts a more effective passer.

Kyler Murray is short on healthy pass catchers, but he gets a favorable matchup against a patchwork Raiders secondary.

Justin Herbert‘s matchup against the Chiefs has shootout potential, yes, but he won’t have WR Keenan Allen.

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Tier 3

Russell Wilson threw for 340 yards in his Broncos and debut and now plays his first home game in Denver. The Texans should be a soft matchup for him, but it was puzzling that Wilson didn’t throw downfield more aggressively against Seattle’s suspect cornerbacks. Russ had an average depth of target of just 6.5 yards in Week 1. Is that a product of HC Paul Hackett’s system, or a one-week blip? Let’s hope it’s the latter.

Derek Carr gets a squishy-soft matchup against a Cardinals pass defense that was laid to waste by Patrick Mahomes last week.

Joe Burrow had an uneven performance in Week 1. He threw for 338 yards and two TDs, but he needed 53 pass attempts to get those numbers, and he was intercepted four times. One potential problem is that he might not have to throw nearly as much this week against the Cowboys, whose starting QB will be Cooper Rush.

Matthew Stafford wasn’t particularly sharp against the Bills in Week 1 but finds himself in a seemingly comfortable bounceback spot against a Falcons defense that was 29th in DVOA against the pass last year.

Dennis Allen, who’s been the Saints’ defensive coordinator since 2015 and is now their head coach, has done a pretty good job of scheming against Tom Brady ever since the GOAT’s 2020 arrival in Tampa. Brady has thrown for under 240 yards in four of his five games against the Saints the last two seasons (including one playoff game), averaging 1.6 TD passes in those five contests.

Tier 4

Trey Lance naysayers believe the buzzards are circling and that the return of Jimmy G. to the starting lineup is nigh. But it’s silly to judge Lance on his performance in last weekend’s Chicago monsoon. Let’s see how he does in a soft home matchup against the Seahawks before passing judgment.

Aaron Rodgers has the worst pass catchers in the league AND was playing without his two best linemen, David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins, last week. He might get Bakhtiari, Jenkins and WR Allen Lazard back from injury this week in a cushy home matchup against the Bears … but that pass-catching group is going to be a limiting factor for him all season.

Carson Wentz went berserk against the Jaguars this week. He has three legitimate weapons at receiver now in Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and rookie Jahan Dotson, and he has a great matchup this week against the Lions’ shaky defensive backfield. I actually think Wentz is an appealing play this week.

Kirk Cousins has traditionally not fared well in standalone primetime games, but Monday night features TWO games this week, so does that count as a standalone? Close enough. I’m fading him in Philadelphia.

Tier 5

Normally, a matchup against the Ravens in Baltimore would be considered a tough one, but the Ravens could be without their top four cornerbacks this weekend, making Tua Tagovailoa a sneaky potential fantasy start.

Justin Fields has a poor supporting cast and has a difficult road matchup in Green Bay, and yet there’s still hope that he can run and throw his way to a decent fantasy showing. That speaks volumes about the kid’s talent.

Trevor Lawrence looked like a real NFL quarterback in Week 1 — an encouraging sign that he’s washed off the stink of Urban Meyer.

Jameis Winston gets a revenge game against his old team, the Buccaneers. It will be interesting to see what this game looks like for the New Orleans offense. The Saints have dialed back the passing game with Winston at quarterback, but the Bucs have a pass-funnel defense that shuts down the run and forces opponents to throw.

We’re probably not at the point of the season where you’d need to consider starting Jared Goff in a single-QB league, but his matchup against Washington at home isn’t bad.

The verdict on Daniel Jones in his first game under new HC Brian Daboll: Meh. He completed 17-of-21 passes for 188 yards and two TDs. In classic Jonesian style, he also threw an interception and coughed up a fumble. Jones simply might not have the horses at wide receiver to be anything other than a mediocre fantasy QB.

Matt Ryan‘s season-long ceiling is fairly low as a non-running quarterback in a run-heavy offense. His Week 2 ceiling is extremely low with his only good receiver, Michael Pittman (quad) ruled out.

Tier 6

Here’s hoping you aren’t forced to start any of these guys in single-QB leagues. In superflex formats … yeah, sure, fine.

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RUNNING BACKS

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Tier 1

Jonathan Taylor smashed in a great Week 1 matchup vs. the Texans — no surprise there — and now gets another good draw against a Jacksonville defense that gave up the 11th-most fantasy points and the fifth-most TD runs to running backs last year.

Christian McCaffrey only generated 57 yards from scrimmage in Week 1, but he scored a touchdown. Most important, he emerged from Week 1 with all body parts still intact. Net positive for CMC investors.

It was joyous to see Saquon Barkley look so fast and explosive in Week 1. He’s back, baby. And now he gets a home date with a Carolina defense that gave up 213 scrimmage yards and two TDs to the Cleveland running backs last week.

Tier 2

Dalvin Cook had 23 touches in Week 1 and now faces an Eagles defense that was gashed by the Lions’ D’Andre Swift in Week 1.

Week 1 demonstrated that the Chargers are, in fact, trying to dial back Austin Ekeler‘s workload. But with his run-catch versatility and big-play ability, Ekeler is still going to be plenty valuable.

The Bengals had a whopping 100 offensive snaps in Week 1, and Joe Mixon had 27 carries and seven receptions. Holy heavy usage, Batman! The massive snap total was a one-week fluke, but Mixon is in another good spot this week against the Cowboys, who’ll be without starting QB Dak Prescott. If the Bengals race out to a lead, Mixon should get 20-plus carries again.

Derrick Henry was mildly disappointing in Week 1, rushing 20 times for 82 yards and seeing zero targets. Now he gets a tough matchup against the Bills. We can bank on heavy volume, but Henry stakeholders might not get the sort of efficiency they desire.

After smashing the Panthers for 141 rushing yards last year, human bowling ball Nick Chubb gets a juicy home matchup against the Jets. Expect another Brunswick-type performance.

D’Andre Swift is dealing with an ankle injury but is expected to play against Washington. Our hope is that Swift is going to be used a lot like vintage Alvin Kamara — decent usage in the running game, heavy usage in the passing game. Swift ran for 144 yards and a TD in Week 1 and added three catches for 31 yards. He’d be a few spots higher in the rankings if not for the ankle issue.

The game script got away from the Packers in Minnesota last week, and Aaron Jones wound up with only five rushing attempts. Jones may well have fewer carries than teammate A.J. Dillon this year, but there won’t be many weeks when Dillon out-targets Jones, as was the case last week. Jones is in a prime rebound spot in Week 2 with Green Bay a big home favorite against Chicago.

Tier 3

Antonio Gibson is going to get the bulk of the rushing load for Washington as long as Brian Robinson continues to cover from gunshot wounds. Gibson was also targeted eight times in Week 1 and had seven receptions for 72 yards vs. the Jaguars. He’s a must-start this week against the Lions.

Leonard Fournette is expected to play despite a tender hammy but gets a rough matchup against a good Saints run D.

Never mind that Javonte Williams was out-carried by Melvin Gordon 12-7 in Week 1. Williams played nearly 60% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps and had 11-65-0 receiving on 12 targets. People who invested in Williams should be thrilled with his Week 1 usage, and if he continues to be used heavily in the passing game … Year 2 breakout incoming. Williams is in a smash spot this week at home against the Texans.

Speaking of encouraging usage in the passing game, James Conner had 5-29-0 receiving in Week 1 to go along with 10-26-1 rushing. We probably shouldn’t read too much into Conner’s usage in a game where the Cardinals were completely trucked by the Chiefs, but continued usage in the passing game would have Conner knocking on the door of RB1 status all season.

With the value of Najee Harris so dependent on heavy volume, it’s concerning that Harris dealt with a foot injury in August and then had his foot rolled up on late in the Steelers’ Week 1 win over the Bengals. You’re starting Harris this week if he’s on your roster, but you may need to recalibrate expectations.

The Green Bay offense is going to run through the running backs this year, and A.J. Dillon stakeholders should be pleased that Quadzilla saw a team-high six targets in Week 1. Dillon finished with 91 yards from scrimmage and had a 2-yard TD run despite an unfriendly game script against the Vikings. The game script figures to be much more accommodating to the Packers’ RBs Sunday night against the Bears.

People who invested heavy draft capital in Alvin Kamara have to be nervous. He had 9-39-0 rushing and 3-7-0 receiving last week, and now he’s dealing with a rib injury that, as of Saturday morning, has left his status for Week 2 uncertain. Will Kamara ever give us the same sort of pass-catching production he gave us during the Drew Brees era? If he plays, he’ll need to do something in the passing game this week in order to pay off against a Tampa Bay defense that excels against the run.

Josh Jacobs investors have to be happy that rookie RB Zamir White didn’t play a single snap for the Raiders in Week 1. Jacobs is still the main man in the Vegas running game, and he gets an appealing matchup against Arizona in Week 2.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire had a pair of TD catches in Week 1 and could have had an even better day if the Chiefs hadn’t blown out the Cardinals so badly that they were able to let rookie RB Isiah Pacheco run out the clock in garbage time. Finally the needle seems to be pointing upward for CEH.

David Montgomery had 50 scoreless yards from scrimmage in Chicago’s soggy Week 1 win over San Francisco. The good news is that Monty played a 66% snap share and had 20 touches. Maybe the Bears’ backfield won’t be a committee after all. Still, Montgomery could face negative game scripts throughout the season, and that could very well be the case for him Sunday night in Green Bay.

Tier 4

After failing to score a single touchdown in 2021, Miles Sanders was able to find the end zone in Week 1. Then again, Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell scored, too. But Sanders played 52% of the snaps and ran 13 times for 96 yards. With a good offensive line in front of him and an elite runner at QB to freeze linebackers for a split second on RPOs, Sanders should have efficient production all season and won’t need a massive workload in order to pay dividends.

It will be interesting to see how the Seahawks deploy their running backs now that rookie Ken Walker is back from a hernia. Rashaad Penny still figures to get a majority of snaps and carries, but he’s a less appealing fantasy play with Walker around.

Is the Buffalo backfield going to be a committee? Well, rookie James Cook coughed up a fumble on his first NFL carry, and Zach Moss isn’t very good, so maybe Devin Singletary will surprise us yet again.

Ezekiel Elliott looked good in Week 1, even if the overall numbers weren’t very satisfying (49 scrimmage yards, no TDs). Dak Prescott‘s injury might tilt the Cowboys’ weekly run/pass splits toward the run, but Zeke’s TD prospects suddenly look bleak.

Cordarrelle Patterson has 22-120-1 rushing in Week 1, but the heavy usage was undoubtedly connected to an early Damien Williams injury. Don’t expect workhorse usage for C-Patt every week, but it’s clear he’s going to remain a useful fantasy asset.

It was a surprise that Sean McVay ghosted Cam Akers in Week 1 after Akers’ heavy usage in last year’s playoffs. But then again, Henderson missed every playoff game except the Super Bowl. Henderson might not dominate snaps and touches every week, but it appears he’s the lead guy in what should again be a pretty good offense.

Tier 5

Travis Etienne and James Robinson divided snaps almost evenly in Week 1, and Etienne finished with only six touches. Robinson’s heavier-than-expected usage is an alarming development for Etienne investors (including yours truly), who may need to recalibrate expectations.

Chase Edmonds is the Dolphins’ lead back, but Raheem Mostert is going to factor, and Edmonds’ road matchup with the Ravens this week is a tough one.

The players from this tier are undoubtedly going to be tricky start/sit calls for a great many fantasy managers in Week 2. Will Jeff Wilson be the main man for the 49ers while Elijah Mitchell is out with a knee injury? How will the Jets divide work between Michael Carter and Breece Hall from week to week? Patriots RBs Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson have an appealing matchup with the Steelers, but they’re sharing work in what appears to be a toothless New England offense. Melvin Gordon seems destined for a lesser role in Denver, though he’ll still be fantasy-viable.

Tier 6

Man … this is a messy tier.

It was great to see James Robinson look so good in Week 1, but he has a tough matchup this week against a Colts run defense that will benefit from the return of LB Shaq Leonard, who missed Week 1 while recovering from a back injury.

J.K. Dobbins is expected back from a knee injury this week, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were on a pitch count.

The Texans gave Rex Burkhead 50 snaps and Dameon Pierce only 20 snaps in Week 1, plashing cold water on all the Pierce enthusiasm we saw in the heart of fantasy draft season. Texans head coach Lovie Smith claims he wanted to use Pierce more in Week 1. Well, the Texans were never out of their Week 1 game against the Colts, which ended in a tie, so it’s hard to see why Pierce was used so sparingly. Good luck trying to guess how Pierce will be used in Week 2.

Jamaal Williams punched in two TDs for the Lions in Week 1. He’s going to get some early-down work every week, and he runs behind a great offensive line. Obviously, D’Andre Swift is Detroit’s lead back, but Williams could be flex-worthy in certain matchups, and his matchup against Washington this week looks like a fairly good one.

Nyheim Hines is going to have a regular role in the Indy offense and has value in PPR formats.

Tony Pollard has standalone value with Dak Prescott at quarterback for Dallas. With Cooper Rush at QB … not so much.

Tier 7

Most of these guys figure to get some work in Week 2, but perhaps not a lot. Pay particular attention to Ken Walker‘s usage and the degree to which the 49ers get Jordan Mason and Tyrion Davis-Price involved in the offense now that Elijah Mitchell is on the shelf for a couple of months.

WIDE RECEIVERS

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Tier 1

What a glorious tier. Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase and Stefon Diggs all saw double-digit targets in Week 1 and were top-six fantasy scorers at the position. Deebo Samuel had only 2-14-0 receiving on seven targets in a foul-weather game in Chicago, but he had 8-52-1 as a runner and figures to be used in the running game every week with Elijah Mitchell out of commission for a while.

Tier 2

Tyreek Hill had 8-94-0 on 12 targets in his Dolphins debut, quelling fears that he’ll be substantially less valuable without Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback. Now he draws a Baltimore defense that has been decimated by injuries to their top four cornerbacks.

It’s fair to say that A.J. Brown‘s first game with the Eagles was a smashing success. AJB quickly established himself as Jalen Hurts‘ primary target, catching 10-155-0 on 13 targets against the Lions.

Mike Williams laid an egg in Week 1, inexplicably catching only two balls for 10 yards in a game that Keenan Allen left with an injury in the first half. Fear not: Williams will bounce back. He figures to be targeted heavily in a game Allen will miss.

The Lions’ cornerbacks are bad — just ask A.J. Brown. Look for Terry McLaurin to pick on Detroit’s CBs this week. However, it’s at least mildly concerning for McLaurin stakeholders that Commanders WRs Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson both played substantial roles in Week 1.

Saints CB Marshon Lattimore has been a tough matchup for Mike Evans. These are Evans’ stat lines from his last seven games against the Saints, including the playoffs: 0-0-0, 4-69-0, 1-2-1, 4-64-0, 1-3-1, 2-48-1 and 1-14-0. That averages out to 1.9 catches, 28.6 yards and 0.4 touchdowns. You’re not benching Evans, but he’ll probably need a TD to make his weekly fantasy quota.

Gabriel Davis enthusiasts had to love what they saw from Gabe in Week 1. Although he only saw five targets, Davis had 4-88-1 and played 98% of the Bills’ offensive snaps.

Tier 3

Yes, Amon-Ra St. Brown‘s late-season surge in 2021 was driven to some degree by injuries to other Detroit pass catchers. But, hey, the dude is a stud. He reminded us of that with an 8-64-1 receiving day in Week 1. Don’t even think about benching him.

Waddle opened the season with 4-69-1 against the Patriots. It’s not ideal that he saw only five targets in his first game playing with new Dolphin Tyreek Hill, but I think most Waddle investors realize that his ceiling is slightly lower with Hill around. He gets a healthy bump in the rankings this week because the Ravens are so banged up at cornerback.

The injury to Dallas QB Dak Prescott is probably a bigger blow to CeeDee Lamb investors than to Prescott investors. But let’s not go completely overboard in fading Lamb. It’s fair to expect his efficiency to tumble, but he’s still going to see a lot of targets.

D.J. Moore isn’t going to be outperformed by Robbie Anderson very often. That said, it’s possible Moore sees a lot of Giants CB Adoree Jackson in Week 2 — a difficult matchup.

Monitor the status of Tee Higgins, who sustained a concussion in Week 1. If he’s back, you’re playing him.

No need to overthink it on Brandin Cooks. Just start him every week and enjoy consistently heavy doses of targets and receptions.

Marquise Brown was quiet in Week 1 but draws a nice Week 2 matchup against the Raiders, whose secondary is among the worst in the league.

Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton each had seven targets in Week 1. Jeudy was more productive thanks to a 67-yard TD catch, but it’s too early to tell whether there’s going to be a clear pecking order here.

There were concerns that Dionte Johnson’s target totals might fall without Ben Roethlisberger constantly feeding him, but Mitchell Trubisky targeted Johnson 12 times in Pittsburgh’s opener, though Johnson had a so-so 7-55-0 stat line.

Tier 4

JuJu Smith-Schuster saw eight targets in his Chiefs debut and finished with 6-79-0. The Chargers have some very good defensive backs and aren’t an easy matchup, but the total for Chargers-Chiefs is 54.5 points, so we want to jam receivers from this game into lineups.

Christian Kirk seems to have quickly established himself as Jacksonville’s alpha receiver, catching 6-117-0 on 12 targets in his first game with the Jags.

D.K. Metcalf‘s Week 1 output was a disappointment, but don’t buy into the narrative that Geno Smith is going to destroy D.K. Metcalf‘s value. Remember: Smith and Metcalf played 3.5 games together last season, and Metcalf caught four TD passes from Smith in those games. Metcalf faces a mediocre group of 49ers cornerbacks this week.

Michael Thomas didn’t play full snaps last week but still had two TD catches last week — an encouraging development.

Brandon Aiyuk could be primed for a good week. The 49ers are likely to be without TE George Kittle again, and WR Deebo Samuel might take quite a few snaps in the backfield with RB Elijah Mitchell out with a knee injury. Seattle’s cornerbacks aren’t great, either.

A vertical receiver like Darnell Mooney was bound to be hurt by the windy, rainy conditions in Chicago last Sunday. He has a tricky matchup against the Packers in Week 2 but should draw at least 7-8 targets.

Rashod Bateman was targeted only five times in Week 1, but his 2-59-1 stat line was good enough for Bateman investors. He’s still a good bet for heavy targets as the Ravens’ top wide receiver.

Tier 5

It’s hard to completely fade a guy who’s scored 24 touchdowns over the last two seasons, but Adam Thielen drew only four targets in Week 1 and will need to score touchdowns in order to prop up his value now that Justin Jefferson is dominating targets in Minnesota.

Elijah Moore drew seven targets in a Week 1 game where Jets QB Joe Flacco attempted 59 passes — not ideal. Hopefully Week 1 will be the last time all season that Moore draws fewer targets than both Corey Davis and Garrett Wilson.

Allen Robinson stakeholders were understandably dismayed by A-Rob’s two-target debut for the Rams. Now he gets a tricky matchup against the Falcons, who have a good pair of outside cornerbacks in A.J. Terrell and Casey Hayward.

It appears that Amari Cooper was being faded for good reason throughout fantasy draft season. Donovan Peoples-Jones out-targeted Cooper 11-6, and Cooper finished with 17 scoreless yards.

Drake London had a solid NFL debut with 5-74-0 on seven targets. There’s good reason to be excited about the big rookie.

It’s interesting that Chase Claypool had 6-36-0 rushing in Week 1. Is it possible that Claypool, a big, fast athletic marvel, gets a taste of Deebo Samuel-type usage this season — particularly if Najee Harris continues to battle injuries? I’m intrigued.

Hunter Renfrow was quiet in Week 1 but gets a great matchup against the Cardinals.

Tier 6

DeVonta Smith was held without a reception in Week 1. Yes, Smith is just a complementary receiver now, but the Slim Reaper is still dangerous, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jalen Hurts force-feed him targets against the Vikings on Monday.

Jahan Dotson had two TD catches in his NFL debut. The kid is good, but it’s going to be tricky to predict the distribution of targets in Washington with Dotson, Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel.

Noted short-area receiver Jarvis Landry racked up over 100 air yards in his Saints debut and finished with 7-114-0 against Atlanta. Like the Falcons, the Buccaneers have good outside cornerbacks but are iffier against slot receivers, so we could see another nice day for Landry.

Julio Jones might not be washed after all. He looked good in Week 1 while catching 3-69-0, but he also tweaked his knee, so check his status. The same goes for Julio’s teammate, Russell Gage, who has a hamstring issue.

It’s probably best to keep Tyler Lockett out of your lineup until he gives us a “show me” game that proves he can get it done with Geno Smith at quarterback.

You know the drill with Marquez Valdes-Scantling: It’s feast or famine.

D.J. Chark had a solid 4-52-1 Lions debut, commanding eight targets.

Allen Lazard (ankle) missed Week 1 but has been getting in limited practices this week. It’s possible that he could walk into a big target share right away, though Lazard has never been anything close to an alpha receiver during his NFL career.

Tyler Boyd will get a value boost if Tee Higgins misses Week 2 with a concussion. Even if Higgins plays, Boyd might be worth flex consideration.

Joshua Palmer figures to get enhanced usage for the Chargers this week with Keenan Allen sidelined.

Tier 7

Washington offensive coordinator Scott Turner seems to love Curtis Samuel, so it’s possible that Samuel’s strong Week 1 (8-55-1 receiving, 4-17-0 rushing) was no fluke.

Chris Olave draws a tough matchup against the Buccaneers, who have a good pair of outside cornerbacks in Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis. Probably not a bad idea to keep Olave on ice for another week.

The Bills’ young cornerbacks held up extremely well against the Rams in Week 1, so I wouldn’t be especially eager to get Titans WRs Robert Woods or Treylon Burks into lineups.

I’m still not ready to trust Robbie Anderson or Donovan Peoples-Jones, but their strong Week 1 performances were attention-getters.

I like Mecole Hardman a little more than most folks. It’s possible he finally pops in Kansas City this year with Tyreek Hill no longer around.

Tier 8

Call this the “wait-and-see” tier.

George Pickens opened eyes in training camp and the preseasons but was quiet in Week 1.

Corey Davis and Garrett Wilson were both prominently involved in the Jets’ passing game last week, but that was largely the product of Joe Flacco‘s 59 pass attempts.

I don’t want any part of the Patriots’ passing game yet, so I’m keeping Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker on the bench.

Zay Jones, Nico Collins and K.J. Osborn are intriguing potential contributors, but unless you’re in an insanely deep league, they’re probably not in consideration for lineup spots this week.

CTAs

TIGHT ENDS

Check out Fitz’s tight end rankings here partner-arrow

Tier 1

The undisputed TE king against a defense that gave up the most fantasy points to tight ends last season? Yeah, that sounds pretty good.

Tier 2

All of these guys are no-brainer starters, so no need to say more. Well, except for this: Please don’t be alarmed by Kyle Pitts‘ 2-19-0 performance in Week 1. He’ll be fine.

Tier 3

Dallas Goedert averaged a remarkable 10.9 yards per target last season, and he picked up right where he left off by going for 3-60-0 on only four targets in Week 1 — a tidy 15.0 yards per target.

Zach Ertz has been dealing with a calf injury, but he played 39 snaps in Week 1 and had 2-14-1 against the Chiefs, with the touchdown salvaging his fantasy performance. Now he gets a favorable draw against a banged-up Raiders defense that allowed the third-most fantasy points to TEs in 2021 and gave up 3-54-1 to Gerald Everett in Week 1.

T.J. Hockenson isn’t a top-tier tight end, but he still belongs in the “set it and forget it” category.

Mea culpa: I didn’t have Pat Freiermuth high enough in my preseason rankings. The dude is good. He had 5-75-0 on 10 targets in Pittsburgh’s opener. “Muth” belongs in your starting lineup.

It will be interesting to see what the Dak Prescott injury does to Dalton Schultz‘s fantasy value. Obviously, it’s probably going to have a deleterious effect, but I wouldn’t be inclined to bench Schultz just yet.

Tier 4

Knox wasn’t very involved in Buffalo’s offense in Week 1, and he faces a Titans defense that was tough on tight ends in 2021. But Knox had nine TD catches last year, and we know the Buffalo offense is going to score plenty of touchdowns in 2022.

Tyler Higbee finished with a modest 5-39-0 receiving line against the Bills in Week 1, but he was targeted 11 times. That’s eye-opening usage, and it makes Higbee worth of lineup consideration.

Cole Kmet was shut out in Week 1, but he was playing in a rainstorm. Don’t panic.

Albert Okwuegbunam opened with a 5-33-0 game against the Seahawks and has a nice matchup against the Texans.

Hunter Henry scored nine touchdowns last year, and the Patriots don’t have a lot of firepower at wide receiver, so the veteran TE is probably going to be prominently involved this year. His matchup against Pittsburgh isn’t a great one, however: The Steelers allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points to TEs last year.

I’m not a big Gerald Everett fan, but I’ll probably be forced to rank him in or near TE1 range all season since he’s the clear TE1 in a very good passing offense. Everett found the end zone last week in his debut with the Chargers.

Njoku was largely invisible in Week 1. He has a good matchup against the Jets this week, but it’s becoming increasingly hard to get on board with Njoku when he continues to let down fantasy managers.

The more frustrated Aaron Rodgers becomes with his weak cast of wide receivers, the better it is for Robert Tonyan, who’s always been a favorite of A-Rod.

Hayden Hurst went 5-46-0 last week on eight targets. That’s good usage, although it should be taken with a grain of salt since the Bengals’ offense ran 100 plays. Still, the Cincinnati offense is among the best in the league, and Hurst had a 75% snap share in Week 1.

After missing most of 2021, Logan Thomas had a 3-45-0 receiving day in Week 1. He’s not a bad streaming option.

Tier 5

There are usage concerns with all of these guys. Taysom Hill had a couple of big runs last week, but we can’t expect consistency from him. Irv Smith, Noah Fant, Mike Gesicki and Cameron Brate all saw disappointing usage in Week 1. And Evan Engram … well, he’s just perennially disappointing.


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