Fantasy football season is officially back in full force following a wild Week 1. Whether your team won or lost its first matchup of the year, keep a level head and stay vigilant going forward. It’s a long season, especially this year with the NFL adding a 17th game. While many still consider the tight end position to be a fantasy football wasteland, Week 1 actually offered some return for savvy owners. A total of 16 tight ends scored double-digit fantasy points in their season-opening matchups. Several of them still possess low ownership percentages and are worth a look when selecting Week 2 fantasy football streamers.
Read on for three fantasy football streamers at tight end for Week 2 of the NFL season. In addition, at the end of the article is a list of some fantasy football tight ends who might be worth fading in difficult matchups this week.
Week 2 Fantasy Football TE Streamers
Ownership percentages reflect all ESPN Fantasy Football leagues
Hunter Henry | New England Patriots (at NYJ)
Current Ownership: 41.1%
The New England Patriots made a splash in free agency by signing not one, but two reputable tight ends. Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry each saw action in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. Despite only being separated by two receptions, Smith has been the much more sought-after commodity in fantasy football. His 83.2% ownership is over twice that of Henry. While Smith is likely the better tight end to own in fantasy long term, both players could realistically turn in a solid outing in Week 2, thanks to a favorable matchup against a familiar AFC East foe.
Last year, the New York Jets defense surrendered the most fantasy points per game to the tight end position. While many believe the Jets to have shored up their defensive front seven, significant concerns still remain in the secondary. For a team like the Patriots, this could mean big things for both of their tight ends. Rookie quarterback, Mac Jones was sharp in Week 1 and figures to continue leaning on his two talented tight ends throughout the season. While the Pats’ bread and butter offensively are in the run game, there is a chance that could be stymied by a respectable Jets’ run D this week. After catching three balls in the opener, Henry might be even busier in this favorable matchup.
Owned in less than half of leagues, he is a viable fantasy football streamer candidate this week.
RELATED | Week 2 Fantasy Football Rankings for PPR and Half PPR
Cole Kmet | Chicago Bears (vs. CIN)
Current Ownership: 24.2%
It goes without saying that the Chicago Bears’ offense is a work in progress. Whether veteran quarterback Andy Dalton remains under center or rookie Justin Fields takes over, a shaky offensive line will likely lead to the Bears facing an uphill battle regardless. That being said, there are several talented playmakers on this team. One of the more unheralded names when it comes to fantasy football is the second-year tight end, Cole Kmet. While veteran Jimmy Graham is still on the team, Kmet is clearly the top guy at the position, playing 74% of the snaps. He could be in store for a big-time game in a favorable Week 2 matchup.
Kmet had five receptions for 42 yards in Week 1, falling just shy of double-digit fantasy points. While the yardage total was modest, it’s worth noting that Dalton was in “Charlie Checkdown” mode for the entire game, as the Bears tried to combat the lethal pass rush of the Los Angeles Rams. That same constant quarterback pressure is unlikely to be generated by Chicago’s Week 2 opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals. This is largely the same Bengals defense that surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends a year ago.
With Kmet being a clear staple of the Bears’ passing attack, he offers tremendous upside as a fantasy football streamers play in Week 2.
Pharaoh Brown | Houston Texans (at CLE)
Current Ownership: 0.2%
While each of our first two tight end fantasy football streamers for this week is at least owned in a quarter of leagues, our final player is a true deep dive. Given the low expectations bestowed upon the Houston Texans offense coming into the year, it perhaps shouldn’t come as a big surprise that tight end Pharaoh Brown remains an afterthought in fantasy. This despite him reeling in four catches for 67 yards to finish as the TE12 in Week 1. This Sunday sees the division-leading Texans (let that sink in for a second!) travel to take on the Cleveland Browns. This game has sneaky potential to be a positive matchup for Houston’s lead tight end.
Despite the presence of star pass-rushers Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, the Browns’ secondary still has some weaknesses. The unit surrendered six catches, 76 yards and two touchdowns to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce last week. While Kelce is no doubt a fantasy football superstar and in a tier of his own, the Browns also struggled to defend the position a year ago. Cleveland allowed an average of 15.61 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends in 2020. Given the lack of reliable pass-catchers in the Texans’ offense, it’s quite conceivable that Tyrod Taylor will look Brown’s way once again in what appears to be a favorable fantasy football streamers matchup.
Fantasy Football TEs Facing Tough Week 2 Matchups
- Darren Waller | Las Vegas Raiders (at PIT)
- Dallas Goedert | Philadelphia Eagles (vs SF)
- Tyler Higbee | Los Angeles Rams (at IND)
Follow us on all of our social channels! Check out our Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok for more great FlurrySports content.
