Week 3 tight end waiver pickups carry strong fantasy upside with George Kittle sidelined for San Francisco. Zach Ertz leads Week 3 adds for Washington, while Juwan Johnson and Brenton Strange remain hot on the radar in New Orleans and Jacksonville. Harold Fannin Jr. continues to ride hype from preseason, and Noah Fant has overtaken Gesicki in Cincinnati. Jonnu Smith, Chig Okonkwo, Davis Allen, and Dalton Schultz all offer plausible streaming or depth plays in the early season.

Targets and role matter most early in the year, and these options provide varying floors and ceilings based on quarterback play and matchup. The list emphasizes volume, red-zone chances, and tactical usage, giving fantasy managers several overlapping paths to week-by-week production as offenses settle in. Consider roster flexibility and opponent strength when deciding who to add or start in Week 3.

To navigate these choices, use waiver tools and compare up to four players to identify the best fit for your lineup, especially with ongoing injuries and early-season spread. These options are designed to fill tight end gaps quickly while you monitor in-season developments and the health of key quarterbacks.

Cade Stover underwent successful foot surgery after Week 1, placing him on injured reserve and sidelining him indefinitely. Houston pivots to Dalton Schultz as the top TE with Harrison Bryant stepping in as depth, hoping for a midseason return from Stover. Week 2 against the Buccaneers will test the Texans’ TE rotation as Bryant comes off the practice squad to bolster the room, while John Metchie’s offseason trade reshapes the depth chart.

Stover’s 4-catch, 22-yard showing in the opener underscored his fantasy upside, making his absence a real hurdle for Houston’s targets. Schultz should assume lead duties, with Bryant offering a potentialTE2 floor in two-TE sets, and the Texans’ offense recalibrating around these changes as they eye durability and depth in a tough early schedule.