TE Rankings Downgrades For Week 2 Fantasy Football: Kyle Pitts, Sam LaPorta & More

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

Unfavorable betting factors and situational spots
Disadvantageous defensive matchups (perhaps amplified by offensive injury)
Decreased usage expectations (again, maybe exacerbated by offensive 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.

Tight End Rankings For Week 2 (The Top 15)

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

Week 2 Matchup Downgrades In The TE Rankings: Sam LaPorta at Bills & Gunnar Helm vs. Eagles

There are a few "reverse flow chart" defenses so good that they serve automatic downgrades to whatever TEs they face. If a guy is playing one of them, I aggressively move him down my ranks. If not, I carry on.

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

Bills: No. 1 in smallest fantasy boost allowed to TEs (-2.9)
Eagles: No. 1 in defensive pass DVOA against TEs (-51.9%)

Here be dragons.

Sam LaPorta (Lions) at Bills: LaPorta had good Week 1 numbers (7.3 fantasy points, 5-48-0 receiving on eight targets and an 83% route rate, per our Fantasy Life Utilization Report), but his need to compete for opportunities with WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams and RB Jahmyr Gibbs could hurt him in a tough spot … and that's what this is. QB Jared Goff is outdoors on the road, where the Lions are granting maximal home-field advantage to the Bills as non-conference opponents on grass (vs. turf) and outdoors (vs. indoors). Blurgh.

Gunnar Helm (Titans) vs. Eagles: On the one hand, Helm's Week 1 performance (4-28-0 receiving, five targets) was comparable to those of WRs Carnell Tate (4-38-0, six) and Wan'Dale Robinson (5-38-0, six). On the other hand, he's on the Titans, and he's facing the Eagles in Week 2. That's the blurb. The blurbgh.

Week 2 TE Rankings Scoring Downgrades: Brenton Strange at Broncos & Pat Freiermuth at Patriots

Sometimes downgrades are as simple as: "This team isn't going to score many points, so I need to push down the TEs."

Entering the season, I had the Jaguars projected with the No. 12 offense; the Steelers, No. 18. But this week the Jags are No. 21 in implied team total (21 points), and the Steelers are No. 29 (18).

Downgrades warranted.

Brenton Strange (Jaguars) at Broncos: Strange salvaged his Week 1 with a 14-yard TD, but in a game in which the Jags scored 34 points, he had just three targets, two receptions, and 23 yards receiving overall, and he lost way too much work to second-round rookie Nate Boerkircher (64% route rate vs. 40%). Strange is simply not important to the offense, and he has a tough matchup against the Broncos, who over the past five years have had the No. 2 home-field advantage (+7.42, per NFElo).

Pat Freiermuth (Steelers) at Patriots: In Week 1, Freiermuth looked like the most reliable pass catcher for QB Aaron Rodgers (5-46-1 receiving, five targets) … but he still trailed WRs DK Metcalf (10) and Roman Wilson (six) and RB Jaylen Warren (six) in targets and was tied with RB Rico Dowdle (five). And his situational spot is subpar: The Pats have four extra days to prepare, and they also have a boosted home-field advantage against the Steelers, who are outside the division and on turf (vs. grass).

TE Rankings: Week 2 Offensive Injury Downgrades: Kyle Pitts vs. Panthers & A.J. Barner at Cardinals

Here are a couple TEs who get downgrades because of injuries to supporting offensive players.

Kyle Pitts (Falcons) vs. Panthers: In the immortal unspoken words of Aldous Snow: "How can you read when you are blind?" With QBs Michael Penix (knee) and Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) on the sideline last week, Pitts was forced to attempt to play with No. 3 QB Cooper Rush. It could've gone better (0-0-0 receiving on one target). For this week, the Panthers have significantly cut into the home-field advantage for the Falcons because they play in the division on a similar turf surface. If neither Penix nor Tagovailoa returns to action for this game, I expect Pitts' Week 2 to resemble his Week 1.

AJ Barner (Seahawks) at Cardinals: There are reasons to like the Seahawks this week. They have a four-day rest-and-preparation edge against the Cardinals, and HC Mike Macdonald historically has had his team ready to play off a win (14-7-1 ATS, 26.7% ROI) and on the road (12-4-1 ATS, 41.2% ROI). But without QB Sam Darnold (hip), the Seahawks could struggle to move the ball (they scored just 13 points in Week 1, when Barner had 2-13-0 receiving on two targets).

Notes

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

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.