| Advertisement |
Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph ranks No.1 on our Top-20 list of fantasy football tight ends for Week 2. Yes, Rudolph will have a slightly better day than Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce, mostly due to matchup and the number of targets I'm expecting from Sam Bradford against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Advertisement
There are other surprising options cracking my Top 10 this weekend.
Here are my Top 20 options at the position this week.
TOP 20 WEEK 2 RANKINGS BELOW
TOP SHELF
Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph and quarterback Sam Bradford are already off to a hot start. Look for that to continue Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rudolph only had three receptions in Monday's win against the New Orleans Saints, but he came away with 26 yards and a score. Pittsburgh allowed the 12th most fantasy points to tight ends last season. The Steelers just allowed six catches for 62 yards to Cleveland Browns tight ends Seth DeValve and David Njoku. I'm expecting Rudolph to lead all tight ends in fantasy points this week.
Delanie Walker is my No. 9 tight end this week with a matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With great cornerbacks on the outside, the Houston Texans targeted tight ends in their loss last week to the Jaguars. Those tight ends saw 10 targets, tied for the second most in the NFL last week. Look for Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans to also look inside to the reliable Walker in this spot. Walker had seven catches for 76 yards last week. He put up seven catches for 98 yards and a score in two games last season against the Jaguars. I'm counting on another touchdown in this one.
SNEAKY PLAYS
Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry didn't even register a catch last week, but he makes my top-10 for Week 2. Hear me out: The Miami Dolphins were one of the worst defenses at keeping tight ends out of the end zone in 2016, allowing the third-most scores to the position (10). The Dolphins also allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to the position. Although this is a score-or-bust play, I'm betting it's the former in the Dolphins' first game of 2017.
Martellus Bennett managed three catches for 43 yards last weekend in his Green Bay Packers debut against a tough Seattle Seahawks secondary. He could improve on those numbers in a shootout agains the Atlanta Falcons. Bennett comes in as my No. 11 tight end for Week 2. The Falcons allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends in 2016.
LONGSHOTS
Buffalo Bills tight end Charles Clay ranks No. 12 for me with a matchup on the road against the Carolina Panthers. Clay is obviously important to the offense after the departure of some key wide receivers. He was able to secure four receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against the New York Jets. The Panthers were one of the worst teams in the NFL last season when it came to defending the tight end, allowing the second-most fantasy points to the position. Expect Clay to remain involved.
Oakland Raiders tight end Jared Cook gets those Jets in Week 2 and he deserves starting consideration, although he falls outside my top 15. In 2016, the Jets tied with the Dolphins for allowing 10 scores to tight ends. I expect a similar day to the one Bennett had from Cook here, maybe without the touchdown.
