NFL DFS Picks: Week 2 DraftKings Tight End Projections & Sleepers
It wasn’t a pretty opening week for tight ends in daily fantasy football. However, we had confirmation on Friday that the services of Travis Kelce will be available on Sunday against the Jaguars.
That changes everything.
Let’s dive in to explore some of the RotoGrinders NFL DFS projections to help find some DraftKings winners. If you want to see all of this week’s DFS projections, become a RotoGrinders Premium subscriber today!
Top Week 2 DraftKings Tight End Projections
- Travis Kelce (19.52 DraftKings Points)
- Mark Andrews (13.98 DraftKings Points)
- George Kittle (10.52 DraftKings Points)
Travis Kelce
He’s back! Multiple mainstream sources confirmed Friday that Kelce will be back in the fold on Sunday as the Chiefs battle the Jaguars.
There is no word if Kelce will face any snap limitations, but one could argue that 50% of Kelce is still just as good (or better) than all of his peers at the position. RotoGrinders projects Kelce to score the most DraftKings points by a 5.54-point margin, which is a massive gap in the projections world.
The Chiefs are favored on the road in a healthy 51-point game total. Unsurprisingly, RotoGrinders projects Kelce with the highest floor, ceiling, and smash rate. According to NFL.com, Jacksonville was the eight-friendliest defense against tight ends last season regarding fantasy points.
Mark Andrews
The second-highest tight end in terms of ADP this offseason, Mark Andrews also missed Week 1 but is set to return to action Sunday after practicing in full on Friday.
Will he be on a snap count? Much like Kelce, who knows? But he’s arguably the only other guy who I’d be willing to roll the dice on in tournaments even if it’s public knowledge that he were to be limited.
The points gap between Andrews and the next-highest projected tight end is over three points. Clearly, we have two high-end studs in their own tiers and there are gaps between both of them.
Aside from Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham, no other Baltimore pass-catcher even sniffed 50% of the offensive snaps. That bodes well for the veteran Andrews to come in and assert himself right away as an alpha in this alleged pass-happy offense.
The Bengals looked horrible last week, while Joe Burrow played arguably the worst game of his career. However, Vegas thinks Cinci will find its footing, as the black and orange are 3.5-point favorites and the game total is a respectable 47.5. If the Bengals can get back on track, the Ravens will be forced to throw the ball even more to keep pace.
The Bengals were about league average in tight end defense last season, but Andrews should command volume as first-year Baltimore OC Ted Monken wants to open it up this year.
George Kittle
Kittle saw six targets last week and did next to nothing with them. But it was very encouraging to see him collect six targets with all of San Francisco’s skill players healthy. They’re not going to be a super pass-heavy offense, but it’s clear Kittle will remain a key cog in the attack.
Kittle is a fascinating tournament option. He’s priced below the two studs, but his salary is just annoying enough that many will look elsewhere at the position. RotoGrinders currently has him projected at just 3% pOWN%. According to our projections, Kittle has the third-highest ceiling at tight end on the main slate.
The 49ers are heavily-favored against the Rams, and Kittle makes for a great large-field tournament option this week at a very low projected ownership.
Tight End Sleepers
- Darren Waller (10.11 DraftKings Points)
- Gerald Everett (7.35 DraftKings Points)
Darren Waller
Waller is another injured star tight end who is allegedly set to play on Sunday. The Giants got absolutely manhandled in Week 1, but it’s a week-to-week league, and I’m willing to take a shot here. Despite getting their doors blown off by Dallas, the Giants travel to Arizona as 4.5-point favorites on Sunday.
A tale as old as time, Waller was dealing with a leg injury that kept him out of action on Sunday, but just a few short weeks ago in the preseason, his chemistry with Daniel Jones was undeniable. Perhaps nobody’s ADP shot up faster than Waller’s during the last week of August, as he looked like the de facto number-one receiver for New York.
Jones and the Giants are desperate to put last week behind them. RotoGrinders currently has Waller projected at 2% pOWN% on DraftKings, and I think he has an incredible ceiling if he’s a full go. The Cardinals yielded the most fantasy points to tight ends last season. This is one of my favorite bounce-back spots on the slate.
Gerald Everett
Everett won’t project extremely well right now, but Austin Ekeler was finally listed as doubtful for Sunday. Ekeler saw more than 100 targets last season and the void will need to be filled in the passing game.
Surely, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams will see volume. But the Titans will be without starting safety Amani Hooker and corner Kristian Fulton this week. The Titans are the best run defense in football, as teams threw a league-high 39.5 times per game against them last season.
Mike Vrabel always keeps his team in games by making the opposing team one-dimensional. LAC will have to attack through the air to try and earn a road victory. I wouldn’t be shocked if Everett had a big game despite his current 1% projected ownership.
Last season in this matchup, the Tennessee defense was again depleted. Justin Herbert threw for more than 300 yards but no touchdowns to his receivers. He threw 42 passes despite the Chargers scoring only 20 points. Opportunity will be there for these LAC pass catchers due to the Titans defensive strengths – and there will be even more upside if / when Ekeler is officially ruled out.