Week 2 of the NFL season has arrived! After a strong start/sit showing across the board in Week 1, it’s time to take a deeper dive into the tight end position.
Let’s break down my Week 2 start ’em, sit ’em fantasy football TE picks.
Start ‘Em: Mark Andrews AND Isaiah Likely (Ravens) vs. Raiders
There’s enough room in this town (Baltimore) for the both of ’em…
No standoff necessary.
If you were lucky enough to land Isaiah Likely off waivers Wednesday morning — or prudent enough to draft him — you’ll almost certainly want to insert him into your starting lineup. The young tight end led Baltimore in targets, receptions and yards in Week 1 against the Chiefs, and he was a big toe away from adding to that tally at the buzzer.
While Andrews is more of a bruiser, Likely operates smoothly out of the slot, almost serving as a big wide receiver. His rapport with Lamar Jackson is evident and should remain a steady connection over the course of the season.
Moving onto Andrews, a lot of fantasy managers were concerned after the star only earned a pair of targets against Kansas City. However, context is key. Andrews played more snaps (74%) than Likely (66%), which suggests that water will find its level in terms of target share. The Ravens also play a ton of 12 personnel (two tight ends) and we could see even more of it as Todd Monken aims to get his best playmakers on the field as often as possible.
There’s room for strong production for both of Baltimore’s tight ends.
Sit ‘Em: Evan Engram (Jaguars) vs. Browns
Coming off a career-best season in which he racked up 114 receptions for 963 yards, Engram was taken high in fantasy drafts this year with the expectation of another monster PPR campaign.
Said campaign didn’t get off to the best start in Week 1, as Engram caught just one of four targets for five yards. Not only do the Jaguars seem determined to establish the run as the focal point of their offense, but their receiving room is suddenly crowded. A lot of Engram’s production came after Christian Kirk went down with an injury last year. Well, he’s back, and has been joined by established deep ball threat Gabe Davis and exhilarating rookie Brian Thomas Jr. Travis Etienne is also one of the more productive pass-catching backs in the league.
Volume no longer looks like a guarantee for Engram. To make matters worse, he draws an elite Browns pass defense this week. It’s hard to sit someone as talented as the veteran, but if you have other decent options, I’d strongly recommend it.
Fantasy Advice Twitter Takeover
On Sunday from 11-1 ET, Jeff Pratt will be taking over the DraftKings Network X account to answer all of your start/sit questions. Don’t miss out!
Start ‘Em: Colby Parkinson (Rams) at Cardinals
Everyone’s talking about Isaiah Likely as the go-to tight end waiver option — and rightfully so — but Parkinson is somewhat quietly set to receive a massive opportunity.
The 25-year-old racked up four catches for 47 yards in Week 1 as a solid target for Matthew Stafford. Puka Nacua is heading to IR with a sprained PCL. Tyler Higbee is out at least the next three weeks. See where I’m going with this?
Demarcus Robison looks set to be the main beneficiary of Nacua’s absence, but in a fantasy position that lacks depth, Parkinson should be a priority add with intention to start this week.
Sit ‘Em: Chigoziem Okonkwo (Titans) vs. Jets
Sitting as PPR TE6 after Week 1 looks great for Okonkwo. Once you look past the touchdown, it’s not as promising.
The 25-year-old only saw two targets in Week 1, hauling in both for 15 yards. If one of those catches hadn’t been in the end zone, we wouldn’t be talking about Okonkwo as a starting option this Sunday. The Jets just got picked apart by Brock Purdy, but I expect Robert Saleh’s squad to look much stronger this week. Okonkwo and Will Levis need to prove their rapport before you can trust him as your starting tight end.
Those are my start ’em, sit ’em Week 2 fantasy football tight end picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice next week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
