Week 7 Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: Tight Ends

Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups based on a PPR scoring system in fantasy football. This column will not cover the elite players in the NFL like Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey or Justin Jefferson. Instead, I'll look at the players you have questions about who could exceed or fail to meet expectations at each position. For all of your final fantasy lineup decisions, be sure to check out my weekly player rankings which will be updated daily throughout the 2023 NFL season.

Fabs’ Top 10 Tight Ends

1. Travis Kelce vs. Chargers
2. Mark Andrews vs. Lions
3. T.J. Hockenson vs. 49ers (Mon.)
4. Sam LaPorta at Ravens
5. Dallas Goedert vs. Dolphins
6. Evan Engram at Saints (Thur.)
7. Darren Waller vs. Commanders
8. George Kittle at Vikings (Mon.)
9. Kyle Pitts at Buccaneers
10. Pat Freiermuth at Rams

Week 7 Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | KICKERS & TEAM DEFENSES

Byes: Bengals, Cowboys, Jets, Panthers, Texans, Titans

Week 7 Start ’Em: Tight Ends

Start of the Week

Dallas Goedert vs. Dolphins (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Goedert has been far more involved in the Eagles passing game lately, seeing a combined 17 targets in the last two weeks. He’s also scored nine-plus points in three of his last four games, and a matchup against the Dolphins makes him a nice (and obvious) option. Their defense has allowed three tight ends to score 11-plus points this season.

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Start ’Em

Kyle Pitts at Buccaneers (1p.m. ET, Fox): Can we finally trust Pitts in our fantasy lineups? Maybe, but with six teams on a bye, he should be active in most leagues this week. He’s been productive in the last two games, scoring a combined 30 PPR points on 17 targets. So, while the Buccaneers have been tough on tight ends, the increase in usage is enough to put Pitts back in our good graces (for now).

Luke Musgrave at Broncos (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Countless fantasy managers will stream tight ends this week, and Musgrave is one of the more attractive plays. The rookie out of Oregon State has a fabulous matchup in Denver, as the Broncos have allowed four tight ends to score more than 10 points including two that have put up 20-plus points. In all, Denver has given up the most points to tight ends.

Michael Mayer at Bears (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Mayer has seen more volume in the last two weeks, catching seven passes for 114 yards and scoring a combined 18.3 points. With six teams on a bye, he’s worth a roll of the dice in a plus matchup in Chicago. Their defense has allowed four tight ends to score 10-plus points against them this season, including two who have gone over the 19-point mark.

More Starts

Sam LaPorta at Ravens (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
David Njoku at Colts (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
Pat Freiermuth at Rams (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox)

DFS Bargains (DraftKings)

Jonnu Smith at Buccaneers ($3,600)
Luke Musgrave at Broncos ($3,300)
Michael Mayer at Bears ($2,700)

Week 7 Sit ’Em: Tight Ends

Sit of the Week

Zach Ertz at Seahawks (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Ertz had become a viable fantasy option, but he’s seen his snap count decline in three straight games. He’s also been targeted just nine times (four catches) in the last two weeks. The veteran is a risk-reward option this week, as Seattle’s defense has allowed just one opposing tight end (LaPorta) to beat them for more than 7.9 fantasy points this season.

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Sit ’Em

Hunter Henry vs. Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Henry has done a Houdini act in the stat sheets lately, scoring a combined 1.7 fantasy points in the last two games. He’s also scored fewer than four points in three of his last four games overall. I’d keep him on the fantasy sidelines against the Bills, who have allowed no touchdowns and the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.

Tyler Higbee vs. Steelers (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Higbee has seen a drastic drop in terms of his targets in the last two weeks, as he’s had a combined six since the Rams got Cooper Kupp back from an injured hamstring. That trend is troublesome, as is this week’s matchup against the Steelers. Their defense has allowed just one touchdown and an average of just 8.1 points per game to tight ends in 2023.

Logan Thomas at Giants (1 p.m. ET, CBS): This is 100% a rage sit ’em, as I had Thomas as the tight end start of the week last week and he scored just 1.2 points against the Falcons. He’s now scored single digits in three of his first five games, during which time he’s seen three or fewer targets three times. The Giants aren’t great against tight ends, but just two have beaten them for 8.5 points so far this season.

More Sits

Cole Kmet vs. Raiders (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
Dawson Knox vs. Patriots (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
Gerald Everett at Chiefs (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS)

DFS Fades (DraftKings)

Hunter Henry vs. Bills ($4,100)
Tyler Higbee vs. Steelers ($3,700)
Logan Thomas at Giants ($3,500)