For this weekly article, we’ll take a closer look at Stokastic’s early-week NFL DFS projections and other data for the main Sunday slate to uncover the top NFL DFS tight end picks to consider ahead of Week 2. Given the uncertainties at the position this week, we’ll aim to add a Sunday update atop this space with a look at the new projections landscape once there’s more clarity with injuries.
IMPORTANT: It is critical to track all player news leading up until kickoff Sunday, considering even a small injury/status update could have huge effects on the DFS slates on DraftKings and FanDuel. Stokastic’s data team will closely monitor all relevant playing time situations and will be your go-to source for the best projections and tools as you complete your daily fantasy football lineups for Week 2 NFL.
NFL DFS Tight End Picks for Week 2 on DraftKings & FanDuel
Before we get into Week 2, a look at the top 10 leaders in Week 1 snap count percentages at tight end:
Durham Smythe (100%), Cade Otton (97%), Cole Kmet (97%), Dallas Goedert (92%), Tyler Higbee (91%), Noah Gray (88%), Dawson Knox (84%), Sam LaPorta (83%), Chigoziem Okonkwo (83%), Logan Thomas (82%)
And the top 10 in targets:
Zach Ertz (10), T.J. Hockenson (9), Logan Thomas (8), Hayden Hurst (7), Durham Smythe (7), Cole Kmet (7), Jake Ferguson (7), George Kittle (6), Kylen Granson (6), Hunter Henry (6)
We’ll need to keep a watchful eye on the status of Travis Kelce after he missed Week 1. He has returned to practice in a limited fashion, and if he ends up active in Week 2, he’ll obviously be in play for DFS purposes.
Week 2 NFL DFS Tight Ends – Sunday AM Update
Stokastic’s Week 2 NFL DFS projections are being finalized and it’s about that time to see how the numbers are looking at tight end.
As of 11 AM ET:
Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews and Darren Waller are all expected to play, and it’s Kelce that’s the clear standout in projections. He has the highest DraftKings and FanDuel boom probability of anyone on the NFL Week 2 DFS slate, not just tight ends. Tyler Higbee, Chig Okonkwo and Luke Musgrave are all still rating highly in boom probability on DraftKings as well.
On FanDuel, Kelce is by far the top boom play, while Higbee, Okonkwo, Dalton Schultz and Evan Engram round out the top five in FD boom probability at TE.
Make sure you are checking back to Stokastic’s updated data all the way until lock on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Best of luck!
NFL DFS Tight End Picks for Week 2 – Early Player Projections Overview
NOTE: Mark Andrews and Darren Waller are both being projected as of now, but their numbers have been tempered due to their respective injury situations. Kelce is not being projected for the time being.
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
With Kelce not being projected as of Thursday, Stokastic’s NFL player projections on DraftKings and FanDuel show Tyler Higbee at the top of the tight end position in projected fantasy points. If we shift to the Value column, we find Higbee is number one on FanDuel at 1.74, yet he is down in eighth place on DraftKings at 2.45.
The Rams tight end didn’t light the world on fire in Week 1, totaling three catches on three targets for 49 yards. He was, however, on the field for 91% of the snaps as noted above, and we know the veteran is going to keep seeing as much opportunity as he can handle in this Rams offense. Early in the week, Stokastic has Higbee’s boom probability at 10.5 on DraftKings and 11.5% on FanDuel for Week 2’s matchup against the 49ers.
Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
If Week 1 is anything to go by, Musgrave is set to play a sizable role in the Green Bay offense this year. The rookie played 75% of the snaps in the season-opening win over the Bears and finished with three receptions for 50 yards. His final line could have been even better were it not for a couple of mix-ups with quarterback Jordan Love, but it was still a highly successful debut for Musgrave and the Packers as a whole.
The athletic tight end is evidently going to be given every opportunity to prove why he was worth a second-round selection. Green Bay’s offense is a little banged up right now as well, as Aaron Jones, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are all dealing with hamstring injuries and are iffy to play in Week 2 against the Falcons. Musgrave could have an even bigger part to play depending on how the news shakes out. He is currently projected for 9.18 points on DraftKings at $3,200 and 7.33 points on FanDuel at a price of $5,000.
NFL DFS Tight End Fades for Week 2 – Early Player Projections Overview
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Kyle Pitts logged two receptions on three targets for 44 yards in Atlanta’s 24-10 win over Carolina in Week 1. He hauled in a 34-yard catch to account for most of the production and ended up leading the Falcons in receiving.
Atlanta was mostly reliant on the run game in Desmond Ridder‘s first official start and is likely to keep leaning on the likes of first-round draft pick Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier as much as they can. The pair combined for 25 carries and nine catches between them in Week 1, while Drake London was completely blanked in the victory and figures to get more involved this weekend as well. Current Stokastic NFL player projections have projected Pitts for 9.03 points on DraftKings and 7.35 points on FanDuel, and he has a 44.1% bust probability for the DK main slate.
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
It was a relatively busy day for Cole Kmet as the Bears tried to fight their way back in a 38-20 loss to the Packers this past Sunday. He finished Week 1 with five receptions on seven targets for 44 yards and dominated playing time at the position by logging 97% of the snaps.
While the Week 1 production and snap count were encouraging, there’s reason to proceed cautiously going forward. There are quite a few mouths to feed in Chicago and Kmet is going to have a week-to-week fight for opportunities. As of Thursday afternoon, Stokastic has the Bears tight end for 7.56 fantasy points at $4,400 on DraftKings and 6.03 fantasy points at $5,200 on FanDuel.
Remember it is still early in the week and projections will continue to be updated as news filters in, meaning we’ll see continuous changes in who shows up as the best values for Week 2. That’s particularly true given all of the injury situations at tight end. Keep checking back on projections and the other tools to see how the slate changes on DraftKings and FanDuel before lock.
To help you prepare, Stokastic has plenty more free NFL DFS content on the NFL homepage, DFS tools including NFL Sims and projected ownership, and the best live shows and videos from your favorite analysts on our YouTube channel.
You can also chat strategy with the team and the rest of our sharp community on the Stokastic Discord!
Good luck and enjoy Week 2!
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