2013 Fantasy Football Week 3 Rankings: Top 20 Tight Ends

While we saw some of the Week 1 breakouts flame out in Week 2, there suddenly appears to be more dependable tight end options than ever for fantasy owners to chose from.  

Who is the best option for Week 3?  Let’s take a look:

1. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints, vs. Arizona
2. Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos, vs. Oakland
3. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers, vs. New York Giants
4. Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns, at Minnesota
5. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys, vs. St. Louis
6. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers, at Cincinnati
7. Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears, at Pittsburgh
8. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons, at Miami
9. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers, vs. Indianapolis
10. Brandon Myers, New York Giants, at Carolina
11. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers, at Tennessee
12. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans, at Baltimore
13. Jared Cook, St. Louis Rams, at Dallas
14. Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions, at Washington
15. Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals, vs. Green Bay
16. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals, vs. Green Bay
17. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings, vs. Cleveland
18. Charles Clay, Miami Dolphins, vs. Atlanta
19. Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins, vs. Detroit
20. Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts, at San Francisco

Thoughts:

• Rob Gronkowski is currently not included in the rankings, but if he were healthy he would’ve been the top option.  As it is, if he’s active he’s a must-use option (falling into the top five).  We’ll have to keep a close eye on the news in the coming days.
• Julius Thomas followed up his strong Week 1 performance with six receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown in Week 2.  In other words, he’s quickly proving that even in the loaded offense the Broncos have, he’s going to get his opportunities to produce.
• It is crystal clear that Greg Olsen is the second option for Cam Newton, amassing 12 catches (on 18 targets) for 140 yards and a touchdown over the first two weeks.  Taking on a Giants defense that has given up plays to tight ends over the first two weeks (two touchdowns to Witten and one to Julius Thomas), it’s hard not to love Olsen for the coming week.
• Brandon Myers has quickly shown that he could be an important part to the Giants’ passing game.  However, he came out of Week 2 banged up, so you’ll have to check his health before depending on him.
• Another banged-up tight end is Vernon Davis, so we’ll have to monitor his news as well.  If he were forced to miss the game, Vance McDonald would suddenly become an appealing sleeper option for the week.
• Even with Josh Gordon back from suspension this week, don’t expect Jordan Cameron’s role in the offense to diminish.  He’s proven early on that he’s going to be a vital part of the Browns' passing game and should be one of the more dependable tight ends on a weekly basis.
• After showing just how good he could be in Week 1, Jared Cook regressed to his Tennessee days and disappeared in Week 2.  So which is it going to be?
• Either Jermaine Greshem or Tyler Eifert could post big numbers this week against the Packers.  The problem is: Who is going to be the go-to guy?  They will likely steal targets from each other, leaving both as TE2 options at best.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 3 rankings:

• Quarterbacks (Top 25)
• Running Backs (Top 40)
• Wide Receivers (Top 50)