The fantasy week starts on Thursday night in Week 3 with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs going at it and after a number of injuries, the tight end position is one that should be interesting to watch, as some players to possibly start and sit includes Vernon Davis, Coby Fleener, Rob Gronkowski, Jordan Cameron and Brandon Myers.
Fleener is a prime starting option this week, as the Colts have lost number one tight end Dwayne Allen to hip surgery after he was injured in the opening win over the Oakland Raiders. Andrew Luck and Allen had a nice connection last season and now his old college teammate in Fleener will be the starter after the team took him in the second round after Luck.
The Colts have been one of the teams hit hardest by the injury bug, as Vick Ballard, Allen and Donald Thomas are all done for the season and that could make running the offense a bit tougher as things move on. The team has not time to sulk though, as they have a road game against Luck's old coach at Stanford in Jim Harbaugh. The two teams are 1-1 this season and it could be one of the best matchups of the week after the 49ers lost to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night.
Allen was excellent last season, making 45 catches for over 540 yards and he also added four touchdowns from Luck and now he will be a main target missing from the offense. Fleener did not have as many catches last season with 26 for 281 yards, but the familiarity with Luck from college should help get him involved in the offense and it should open things up for TY Hilton as well.
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski looks ready to finally get back on the field and it isn't a moment too soon for the Pats, as they are dealing with a ton of injuries on offense as well. The team lost Shane Vereen and Danny Amendola to injuries and Vereen will be out until Week 11, while Amendola may return sooner, but may have avoided surgery for his groin. Either way, the team is also down Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Lloyd, Wes Welker and Danny Woodhead in players that were on the roster last season, making Gronk even more important.
The Patriots have some solid young talent at receiver with Aaron Dobson, Josh Boyce and Kenbrell Thompkins, but last week tom Brady showed his frustrations as those players made a number of drops in the game. Brady is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but he needs experienced targets and now he should have his favorite one back with Gronkowski. The team is playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and they are 2-0 despite the struggles and having him back in the offense should open things up in the running game as well.
Other players to watch include Vernon Davis, Jordan Cameron and Brandon Myers, as Davis is injured and the matchups for Cameron and Myers could be tough. Davis said he should play despite a hamstring issue, but owners should keep an eye on it since it is a late game and he comes in after making three catches for 20 yards in the loss against Seattle and that comes after making two TD catches against the Packers in Week 1.
Myers and Cameron have been very solid this season and with the Panthers playing the Giants on Sunday, he could have a solid day if he avoids Luke Kuechly. Cameron has been one of the biggest surprises, making 14 catches for 203 yards and a touchdown for the Browns as their only real receiving threat apart from Josh Gordon.
