Upgrades For Week 3 Tight End Rankings: Dalton Kincaid, George Kittle & More

Let's get into the Week 3 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 3 favorites and fades.

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Week 3 Tight End Rankings (Top 15)

Rank	Player
1	Trey McBride
3	Brock Bowers
2	Dalton Kincaid
4	Sam LaPorta
5	Tucker Kraft
6	Travis Kelce
7	George Kittle
9	Tyler Warren
8	Isaiah Likely
10	Dalton Schultz
11	Juwan Johnson
12	Colston Loveland
13	Harold Fannin
14	Mark Andrews
15	Oronde Gadsden

Week 3 Matchup Upgrades: Pat Freiermuth vs. Bengals & AJ Barner at Commanders

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 ranks. 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.

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

Pat Freiermuth (Steelers) vs. Bengals: Freiermuth could have a bigger workload this week if No. 2 WR Michael Pittman (foot) and RB Rico Dowdle (toe) are sidelined, and his role within the offense has already been meaningful this year (No. 12 TE with 9.3 fantasy points per game, 9-78-1 receiving plus 1-2-0 rushing, 10 targets, 70 Utilization Score, per our Fantasy Life Utilization Report). In two games against the Bengals last year, Freiermuth went off (6-130-2 receiving, 7 targets). It's dangerous, but if I were desperate I'd probably be willing to start Freiermuth in Guillotine Leagues^TM this week.

AJ Barner (Seahawks) at Commanders: On the negative side, Barner has just … counting … one, two, three targets this year (3-21-0 receiving). On the positive side, there's a chance QB Sam Darnold (glute) will return to action this week, Barner has "Tush Push" utility (1-1-1 rushing this year, 10-14-1 last year), and LB Frankie Luvu (groin) and S/CB Nick Cross (undisclosed) could be out for the Commanders.

Week 3 Scoring Upgrades: George Kittle vs. Cardinals & Mark Andrews vs. Cowboys

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 49ers are No. 3 in implied team total (28.25 points); the Ravens, No. 4 (27.75).

Upgrades warranted.

George Kittle (49ers) vs. Cardinals: No. 1 WR Mike Evans (hip) is uncertain. WRs Ricky Pearsall (knee, IR), Christian Kirk (calf, IR), De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle, IR) and Demarcus Robinson (ankle) are out, as is No. 2 TE Jake Tonges (knee, IR). The Cardinals last year were No. 31 in defensive pass DVOA against TEs (25.3%), and in the secondary this week they could be without CBs Will Johnson (neck), Garrett Williams (Achilles) and Max Melton (toe). Last week, despite having a lowly 56% route rate, Kittle still had strong usage (29% air yard share, 100% end zone target share, 84 Utilization Score) on his way to a productive day (4-80-1 receiving, 4 targets). In his one game against the Cardinals last year, Kittle balled out (6-67-2 receiving, 6 targets). To quote George Costanza: "This is the signal, Jerry. This is the signal."

Mark Andrews (Ravens) vs. Cowboys (in Brazil): Andrews has been acceptable to start the season (10-98-0 receiving, 13 targets, 75% route rate, 74 Utilization Score), and his fantasy functionality could persist into Week 3 if No. 1 WR Zay Flowers (hamstring) misses another game, especially since the Cowboys in the back seven could be without LB DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring), CB Cobie Durant (hamstring), FS Malik Hooker (forearm) and No. 3 S P.J. Locke (foot). At Maracanã Stadium, the Ravens have an edge over the Cowboys playing on grass (vs. turf) and outdoors (vs. indoors). For the season, I have a bet that the Ravens will miss the playoffs, but I can't imagine them not beating my Cowboys this week in Rio de Janeiro. For his career, QB Lamar Jackson has been elite away from home (36-22 ATS, 20.2% ROI, per Action Network).

Week 3 Offensive Injury Upgrades: Dalton Schultz at Colts & Oronde Gadsden at Bills

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

Dalton Schultz (Texans) at Colts: This is the third straight week that Schultz has been one of my TE favorites. To borrow from The Hangover: "You never walk away from the table when you're on a heater." The Texans are on the road, but they've cut the home-field advantage for the Colts down to almost nothing because they are in division and play on a similar turf surface in a similar indoor stadium. One of my 2026 fantasy favorites entering the season, Schultz got to play last week without No. 1 WR Nico Collins (hamstring), and he was an animal (12-140-0 receiving, 14 targets, 91 Utilization Score). I doubt Collins will return this week against the Colts. Schultz needs to be rostered in every league.

Oronde Gadsden (Chargers) at Bills: Perhaps the NFL's most disappointing team of the season (so far), the Chargers are coming off back-to-back 26-14 home losses against two notably inferior opponents … and now they're traveling across the country for a 1 pm ET game against a Bills team that has three extra days of rest and is at home for a second straight game. On top of that, the Bills have a magnified home-field advantage against the Chargers, who are outside the division, on grass (vs. turf) and outdoors (vs. indoors). And Gadsden's 2026 numbers don't look great (4-50-1 receiving, 4 targets, 45% route rate, 48 Utilization Score). But TEs Charlie Kolar (forearm) and David Njoku (lower leg) both exited Week 2 with an injury and will miss Week 3. With his explosiveness (9.8 yards per target for career), Gadsden could have a big game.

Week 3 Defensive Injury Upgrades: Dalton Kincaid vs. Chargers & Brenton Strange vs. Patriots

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

Dalton Kincaid (Bills) vs. Chargers: Kincaid has back-to-back top-5 performances to open the year and is now the No. 1 TE (12-225-1 receiving, 14 targets, 69% route rate, 92 Utilization Score). The promise that Kincaid teased last year, when he sported a super efficient 24% target rate, 11.7 yards per target, and 10.2% TD rate, has turned into full-blown production. The setup is perfect: The Bills have three extra days of rest and are at home for their second straight game, whereas the Chargers are traveling across the country for a 1 p.m. ET game. On top of that, the Bills have a magnified home-field advantage against the Chargers, who are outside the division, on grass (vs. turf) and outdoors (vs. indoors). Finally, SS Derwin James (finger) and FS Elijah Molden (hamstring) might both be out with injury.

Brenton Strange (Jaguars) vs. Pats: Strange hasn't done much this year (4-40-1 receiving, 5 targets, 73% route rate, 54 Utilization Score), but the Jags last year had the No. 1 home-field advantage (+17.4, per NFElo), and this week they have an additional edge over the Pats, who are outside division and on grass (vs. turf). On top of that, the Pats in the secondary could be without CB Carlton Davis (neck) and SS Craig Woodson (shoulder).

Notes

Week 3 Favorites & Fades: Here's the full series.

Defensive Matchups: Since the season is just two weeks 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.