Upgrades For Week 2 Tight End Rankings: Colston Loveland Rises Again

Let's get into the Week 2 TE edition of Freedman's Favorites, where I highlight guys I'm upgrading because of …

Favorable betting factors and situational spots
Advantageous defensive matchups (perhaps aided by injury)
Increased usage expectations (again, maybe aided by injury)

For process notes regarding this series, see the end of this piece. Also, check out the rest of my Week 2 favorites and fades.

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Week 2 Tight End Rankings (Top 15)

Rank	Player
1	Trey McBride
2	Colston Loveland
3	Tyler Warren
4	Tucker Kraft
5	Sam LaPorta
6	Dalton Kincaid
7	George Kittle
8	Travis Kelce
9	Dallas Goedert
10	Michael Mayer
11	Isaiah Likely
12	Juwan Johnson
13	Harold Fannin
14	Mark Andrews
15	Jake Ferguson

Week 2 Matchup Upgrades in the TE Rankings: Jake Ferguson vs. Commanders & Dalton Schultz vs. Bengals

There are a few "flow chart" defenses so bad that they provide automatic upgrades to whatever TEs they face. If a guy is playing one of them, I aggressively move him up my fantasy football rankings. If not, I carry on.

Based on the numbers I see in our Fantasy Life DvP (Defense vs. Position) Matrix as well as RBs Don't Matter and FTN, the Commanders and Bengals last year were two of the biggest flow chart defenses for TE.

Commanders: No. 32 in defensive pass DVOA against TEs (27.3%)
Bengals: No. 1 in largest fantasy boost allowed to TEs (+5.6)

Jake Ferguson (Cowboys) vs. Commanders: Ferguson did almost nothing in Week 1 (1.6 fantasy points, 2-6-0 receiving, 2 targets), but he had a solid 75% route rate (per our Fantasy Life Utilization Report), which (if it sustains into Week 2) should give him a shot to bounce back. In his two games against the Commanders last year, he had modest opportunities (9 targets) and sparse production (35 yards, 8 receptions) … with the exception of his 3 TDs. While scores can be fluky, to borrow from Robb Stark, three victories are better than three defeats. The situational spot is good: QB Dak Prescott usually dominates in division (32-16 ATS, 29.3% ROI, per Action Network), especially against the Commanders (11-4 ATS, 40.6% ROI), who this week are dealing with injuries to LBs Frankie Luvu (groin) and Jordan Magee (hamstring).

Dalton Schultz (Texans) vs. Bengals: It's almost embarrassing to admit, but Schultz was one of my TE favorites last week … and he at least got the utilization, finishing as the No. 2 pass catcher on the team (76% route rate, 19% target share, 8 targets). While he didn't translate that usage into a world of production (4-35-0 receiving), his role in the offense feels secure thanks to the injuries to WRs Tank Dell (knee, IR) and Jayden Higgins (knee, IR). Playing his second home game in a row to open the season, Schultz could smash the Bengals in Week 2.

Week 2 Scoring Upgrades: Dalton Kincaid vs. Lions & Colston Loveland vs. Vikings

Sometimes upgrades are as simple as: "This team is going to score a lot of points, so I need to bump up the TE."

This week, the Bills are No. 2 in implied team total (28.5 points); the Bears, No. 5 (27).

Upgrades warranted.

Dalton Kincaid (Bills) vs. Lions: One of my 2026 fantasy favorites, Kincaid in Week 1 had a team-high 77% snap rate as well as a 69% route rate and 87 Utilization Score, both of which are better than any mark he had last year, when he sported a super efficient 24% target rate, 11.7 yards per target and 10.2% TD rate. The Week 1 result: 5-130-0 receiving, 6 targets. For Week 2, the Lions are without SS Brian Branch (Achilles, PUP), FS Kerby Joseph (knee, PUP), and maybe S/CB Christian Izien (groin), and on top of that, the Bills have a maximized home-field advantage against the Lions, who are outside of conference, on grass (vs. turf) and outdoors (vs. indoors). I don't love the idea of first-year HC Joe Brady preparing a game plan on a short week, but QB Josh Allen has historically done well in the first month of the season (20-12 ATS, 19.8% ROI). I expect the Bills offense to do what it usually does, which should be enough for Kincaid to have another strong performance.

Colston Loveland (Bears) vs. Vikings: Who's the real Loveland? The guy who had a position-high 89% rate route last week on an offense that put up 59 points? Or the guy who had 0-0-0 receiving on just 2 targets? I think it's probably the guy who had 28-378-2 receiving on 48 targets and a 100 Utilization Score as a 21-year-old rookie in his final four games of the 2025 season (including playoffs). The breakout is imminent. In the words of Bon Jovi: "Keep the faith."

Week 2 Defensive Injury Upgrades: Isaiah Likely at Rams & Mike Gesicki at Texans

Here are a couple TEs who get upgrades because of defensive injuries.

Isaiah Likely (Giants) at Rams: Likely was one of my TE favorites last week under the theory that he'd be no worse than the No. 2 pass catcher for the Giants. Theory confirmed (8-78-2 receiving, 8 targets). This week, Likely isn't in an ideal spot: The Rams are at home with a three-day rest advantage. Even so, the Giants have some circumstantial edges: HC John Harbaugh is great on the road (90-64-6 ATS, 13.7% ROI) and as a dog of at least +3 (42-25-3 ATS, 21.1% ROI), the Rams could be exhausted after traveling almost 16,000 miles to Australia and back, EDGE Myles Garrett (knee, IR) is out, DT Aaron Donald (rest) could be rusty in his first game in over two years, and probably most relevant to Likely, SS Kamren Curl (ankle) exited Week 1 with an injury.

Mike Gesicki (Bengals) at Texans: Gesicki ran hot last week. Despite having a route rate of just 46%, he balled out with 5-78-1 receiving on 7 targets, a 26% air yard share, 100% end-zone target share, and 85 Utilization Report. Can he be that unrealistically efficient again? Yes … but he probably won't be. And yet … there's a lot to like about Gesicki's situational spot: For his career, QB Joe Burrow has been awesome outside division (39-16-1 ATS, 35.2% ROI), on the road (30-14 ATS, 30.7% ROI), and indoors (6-1 ATS, 62.5% ROI). Plus, the Texans defense could be without LBs Henry To'oTo'o and Jake Hummel.

Week 2 Offensive Injury Upgrades: Mark Andrews vs. Saints & Michael Mayer at Chargers

Here are a couple TEs who get upgrades because of offensive injuries.

Mark Andrews (Ravens) vs. Saints: For this game, WRs Zay Flowers (hamstring), Devontez Walker (groin) and Ja'Kobi Lane (wrist) might all be out. Without them for most of the game last week, Andrews had a 77% route rate and 25% target share, which he converted into a respectable 4-49-0 receiving on 6 targets. The Saints are coming off a one-point overtime loss, they're on the road for a second straight week, and they're yielding maximal home-field advantage to the Ravens as non-conference opponents on grass (vs. turf) and outdoors (vs. indoors).

Michael Mayer (Raiders) at Chargers: No. 1 TE Brock Bowers (knee) was out last week, and I'm skeptical he'll return this week. In his absence, Mayer had a team-high 7 targets, which translated to 6-32-0 receiving. That production isn't sexy, but the underlying usage (77% route rate, 24% target share, 73 Utilization Score) suggests that Mayer could be the team's true No. 1 pass catcher until Bowers returns. For the Chargers, FS Elijah Molden (hamstring) might be out after exiting Week 1 early.

Notes

Week 2 Favorites & Fades: Here's the rest of the pieces.

Introduction
QB Favorites
QB Fades
RB Favorites
RB Fades
WR Favorites
WR Fades
TE Favorites
TE Fades

Defensive Matchups: Since the season is just one week old, I still rely primarily on prior defensive data.

Injuries: Since I write Freedman's Favorites on Monday and Tuesday, I have incomplete injury information. After I submit this article, any updated thoughts I have regarding injuries will manifest in my rankings. For our quick fantasy thoughts every day, subscribe to the Fantasy Life newsletter.

Schedule: This season, I have the following rankings schedule.