NFL DFS Week 3 TE Coach: Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
After an absolutely ABYSMAL Week One at the tight end position, Week Two came in to save the day. And that of course was headlined by the return of our kings Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce. But we also had one of our best days yet in DFS. The TE1 and TE2 on the Week (TJ Hockenson and Hunter Henry) played in prime-time games and were not on the main slate. Here are the names we mentioned in the article last week and how they finished in PPR.
Mark Andrews TE3
Darren Waller TE4
Travis Kelce TE5
Evan Engram TE6
Zach Ertz TE7
Sam LaPorta TE8
Kylen Granson TE9
Dalton Kincaid TE16
Luke Musgrave TE36
Outside of Luke Musgrave, we did pretty solid there. So let’s get back into it, and let’s win some more money!
Be sure to check out the rest of the NFL DFS Coaches and DFS Watch List throughout the week!
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NFL DFS TE Top-Tier Picks
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Some weeks we go with the Chalk God, some weeks we don’t. This week we are planning to but there is one caveat. And that caveat’s name is Eddie Jackson. The strong safety left last week’s game and, as of the writing of this, he has yet to practice. This Bears pass defense was already bad but without him, it will be straight terrible. Their other starting safety, Jaquan Brisker, also briefly left last week’s game so we could be in line for a classic Kelce smashing. If Jackson does end up playing, I will edit this with a new option - tag me on Twitter @CoopAFiasco or on our Discord if you see any definitive news on Jackson. FanDuel usually makes us pay up for the cheap options but Kelce is 13.3% of your budget over there compared to 14.4% on DraftKings and 16.0% on Yahoo so, if you play FanDuel, this might be a good week to pay up.
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
We are absolutely not afraid to keep riding with one meal ticket until the DFS sites adjust. Why make things harder on ourselves by getting cute? Evan Engram is top 7 in virtually EVERY stat we care about - route participation (83.3%), target share (17.81%), pass block rate (0%), routes run from WR rate (76.4%), YPRR (1.51). Would be nice if his aDot was a little higher than 4.1 but we can deal with that. This week he gets the Houston Texans so he should be fairly safe, especially in cash games. He’s 8.4% of your budget on DK and closer to 10% on Yahoo and FanDuel so he’s my DK play this week. He’s a better PPR player anyway and DK is full PPR.
Bonus Yahoo Play
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
We said we like Kelce on FanDuel and Engram on DraftKings. Kelce is a whopping $32 on Yahoo and Evan Engram and Mark Andrews are both priced at $20 on Yahoo. So Mark Andrews is the obvious pick on Yahoo if you play over there and are paying up.
NFL DFS TE Mid-Tier Picks
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
I know. I get it. Arthur Smith, we had him. But hear me out. We all know the “behind the scenes” numbers for Pitts are good. Remember all those stats we mentioned for Evan Engram above?
Player Route Part Target Share Pass Block% aDot WR Rate
Evan Engram 83.3% 17.8% 0% 4.1 76.4%
Kyle Pitts 91.7% 14% 0% 13.6 88.1
The only real difference is that the Jaguars actually throw with Trevor Lawrence and the Falcons don’t with Desmond Ridder. This week they pretty much have to against the Detroit Lions. And the Lions just lost their strong safety, CJ Gardner Johnson, to injury. If Kyle Pitts doesn’t do it this week then we won’t have him in this article again until something drastically changes. But folks are going to be off him in a week where he just might actually do something. And this is likely the cheapest he will ever be. Yahoo dropped him to an absurd 6% of your budget so you have to make a lineup with him over there if you play. He’s 7.8% on DK as well so a good price, 9% on FanDuel so maybe not there.
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Schultz’s alignment has been rock solid so far. He’s running over 80% of the routes, running more than half his routes from a WR spot, and he’s only pass-blocking on 3.2% of the snaps. This week he gets a matchup where the Texans will have to throw against a Jags defense that isn’t amazing against the tight end. If you are just out on Kyle Pitts completely and just want something safe, Schultz is probably the guy coming off seven targets last week. He’s 7.5%-8% of your budget on all platforms so it’s pick your poison there.
NFL DFS TE Value Picks
Mike Gesicki, New England Patriots
This one might confuse some people as Hunter Henry has been “the guy”. But it’s really not that confusing once you realize that Mike Gesicki doesn’t play tight end - he plays wide receiver. He’s lined up at WR for 97% of his snaps this year. And last week he got ramped up to a 70% snap share. The Jets killer corners of Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed really do not go into the slot - they have ONE combined snap in the slot all year. Ceedee Lamb played 47 slot snaps last week and they just didn’t go in there. So, while the outside WRs are getting destroyed, Gesicki has a chance to rack up some numbers from the slot. Hunter Henry could have another good day as well but Gesicki is just so cheap he’s worth a lineup or two. On FanDuel he is expensive and we are paying up at TE there anyway but Gesicki is around 5-6% of your budget on both DraftKings and Yahoo.
Durham Smythe, Miami Dolphins
If Gesicki is your high-risk, high-reward play in this range then Smythe is your “safe” one. This guy has quietly run 97% of the routes so far this year which obviously leads all tight ends. The Dolphins have replicated the 49ers offense and have decided that Durham Smythe will be George Kittle. Who are we to argue? The Dolphins use fullback Alec Ingold the same way that the 49ers use Kyle Juszczyk so he’s playing almost half the game - that highly consolidates the targets among the top two WRs, the TE, and the RB.
The fact that Smythe was able to catch three passes vs. the Patriots defense and Kyle Dugger is a miracle in itself so Smythe is probably undervalued at his price. He’s priced identically to Gesicki on DK and Yahoo and he’s only $100 more on Fan Duel. I’d say that Smythe is your pay-down cash game option this week whereas Gesicki is more of your GPP play.
NFL DFS TE Bonus Dart Throw
Cole Turner, Washington Commanders
The logic here is simple - Logan Thomas was looking pretty darn good in this offense orchestrated by Ron Rivera and Eric Bienemy who love using a TE out of the slot. But he got crushed with a brutal hit last week and has not practiced this week. Cole Turner is a converted wide receiver himself so, if Logan Thomas is out, we have to sneak him into a lineup somewhere.
NFL DFS TE Fades
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
Folks will be chasing last week’s touchdown and citing “red zone targets” but this guy has yet to run more than 50% of the routes in either game. And that’s while playing 60-75% of the snaps - he comes out of the game on pass plays at times which is bad news for a tight end. This play will likely trap fantasy gamers more than once this year, it’s a low-upside play.
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
Aaron Rodgers being out is obviously the number one issue here but there still may be a week where we sneak Conklin in for a dart throw here or there in DFS. This is not that week. Kyle Dugger held Dallas Goedert to literally zero catches in Week One so a guy like Conklin is in a whole heap of trouble.
Player News
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Chargers RB Najee Harris is expected to be back on the field “sooner rather than later.”
Speaking on The Insiders on NFL Network, Rapoport relayed words from Harris’ agent that backed up previous reports that said the eye injury sustained by the veteran running back were superficial, adding that Harris is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season and should be back on the field “sooner rather than later.” Rapoport also stated that Harris is not expected to miss significant time. Even so, any missed time in camp could widen the expected snap rate gap between he and rookie first-round selection Omarion Hampton to start the regular season, something fantasy managers will want to keep an attentive eye on as the following weeks play out.
Chargers placed WR Mike Williams on the PUP list.
Players placed on the PUP list ahead of camp can come off at any time. Williams was dealing with an unspecified injury before the start of camp and was believed to be on track toward playing once camp kicked off. Clearly needing more time to recover, Williams will join WR Jaylen Johnson, S Elijah Molden, LB Del’Shawn Phillips, and OT Savion Washington on the PUP list as they continue to ready themselves for camp.
Jets signed WR Garrett Wilson to a four-year, $130 million contract extension.
Wilson’s deal includes $90 million in guaranteed money and will keep him with the Jets through the 2030 season. The former No. 10 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft has churned out three-straight seasons of 1,000-plus yards to start his career and posted career-highs in receptions (101), yards, (1,104), and touchdowns (7) last season. Now reunited with former college teammate Justin Fields, Wilson hopes the Jets can put together his first winning season as a pro and the Jets’ first winning season since 2015. Wilson profiles as a fringe WR1/WR2, but will likely settle more in the WR2 range in 2025 due to the Jets’ emphasis on the run and Fields’ ability to take off and scramble on passing downs.
Raiders waived QB Carter Bradley.
Bradley joined the Raiders last offseason as a rookie UDFA and spent all of last season on the practice squad before being promoted to the 53-man roster in December. The former South Alabama Jaguar didn’t attempt a pass in his rookie season and will now look to catch on with another team ahead of training camp in hopes of battling for a roster spot. Bradley may be better suited for a spring football league where he would have an opportunity for more playing time.
The Athletic’s Chad Graff believes Stefon Diggs (knee) will “likely open camp by working on the side until he’s cleared from his injury.
Diggs suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 of last season, but surprised during spring practices when he took the field in a limited capacity with the team. While he’s yet to be cleared for full football activities, Graff believes the encouraging spring we saw from Diggs may lead to some limited work to the side in camp while leaving the door open for Diggs to eventually participate in full closer to the end of camp. While opening the season on the PUP list, which would require him to miss a minimum of four games, remains a possibility, Diggs’ involvement in camp will be worth monitoring as the Patriots aim to get their WR1 back on the field.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department released a report detailing additional information regarding Quinshon Judkins’ arrest for domestic battery over the weekend.
The full report can be found at the link provided at the end of the blurb, but the details are quite disturbing. Arresting officer Steven Pohorence reported that the victim of Judkins’ alleged assault reported the incident the day after it occurred, alleging Judkins “punched her in the mouth/chin area with a closed fist” while adding he later struck her in the arm and thigh. The victim also showed pictures of her chin/lip area, with officer Pohorence noting in the report “the bruising was clearly evident.” Bruises could also be found on her arm and thigh. This situation is far from resolved and could have a direct impact on Judkins’ availability for training camp as he remains unsigned at this time.