NFL Fantasy 2023 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Tight ends for Week 6
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You have lineup questions, we have lineup answers — at least we hope so. Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is here to help fantasy managers make difficult roster decisions. And you know what is a good move? Starting Patrick Mahomes. But that’s too obvious, so you won’t see the reigning MVP here. Instead, we’re exploring more debatable situations. And if you can’t find a player you are looking for, please check out the latest NFL Fantasy lineup rankings.
Start ‘Em
Engram is coming off his first underwhelming game of the season. Don’t overreact. He scored just 6.8 fantasy points, but he narrowly missed a touchdown that would have changed the landscape of his day. He’s displayed a very safe floor, having scored at least 9.9 points in his first four games and gone over 11 in three of them. All that despite not yet scoring a touchdown. He remains a tight end you want to start.
I had Kmet as a sit last week — my bad. He went on to catch all five of his targets for 42 yards and a touchdown, scoring 15.2 fantasy points. That was after his two-touchdown, 27.6-point performance the week prior. He has showcased a pretty safe floor and an extremely high ceiling. Both are elevated if Justin Fields continues to play the way he has been. The Vikings allow a bunch of production through the air, and Kmet is the No. 2 target and a favorite for Fields in the red zone. He is a tight end you definitely want to start this week.
Goedert was a start last week and he came through with eight catches for 117 yards, a touchdown, 25.7 fantasy points and the TE2 finish on the week. It was more yards and fantasy points than he’d posted in the first four games combined. The lesson with Goedert and many of the big-name tight ends who were struggling entering Week 5 (Darren Waller, George Kittle, even Kyle Pitts to an extent) is that you have to accept the down weeks. Those guys bring higher ceilings than any streaming tight end. There will be peaks and valleys (as with seemingly everyone at the position), but the peaks are too high to get away from. Especially against the Jets, who have allowed the most fantasy PPG to tight ends this season.
Last week, I was wondering if it was time to start questioning Kittle. His lone big game had come without Brandon Aiyuk in the lineup, and in games with all the Niners weapons healthy, he was averaging 4.3 fantasy PPG. Swing and a miss. He went out and caught three of his four targets for 67 yards and three scores in Week 5, good for 27.7 fantasy points and the top tight end finish on the week. Just like with Dallas Goedert, the highs are too high, so you just have to live with the lows. I know this week brings a tough matchup against the Browns, but you will not find a streamer who can match the upside of Kittle. Keep rolling with him.
Thomas saw a team-high 11 targets last week, catching nine for 77 yards and a touchdown. He finished with 20.7 fantasy points and was a top-four fantasy tight end. He will not do that weekly, but he has topped seven fantasy points in all four of his games this season. That’s a safe floor, especially for a tight end you could have nabbed off the waiver wire this week. The upside is certainly there, as well. Now he plays the Falcons, who have allowed the fifth-most yards to tight ends. They have given up the second-most fantasy PPG to the position. Thomas is a strong streaming option this week.
Sit ‘Em
Schultz enjoyed a huge game last week, catching a touchdown and racking up nearly 20 fantasy points. It was his second big game in a row. He is starting to look like a streaming option once again. All that said, I would look to go in another direction this week. The Saints have allowed the fewest yards to tight ends this season — just 99 in five games. They have given up the second-fewest fantasy PPG to the position. That’s after being the toughest matchup for tight ends last season. I would avoid this one.
Njoku had his best game of the season last time we saw him, catching six passes for 46 yards (and scoring 10.6 fantasy points) against the Ravens in Week 4. The issue is … that was his best game of the season. It also came without Deshaun Watson. He has scored fewer than seven fantasy points in every game with Watson under center. Njoku has shown so far to have a low floor and no ceiling. I would not expect that to change against the 49ers, who have allowed the sixth-fewest yards and seventh-fewest fantasy PPG to tight ends.
Thus far, Kincaid has not lived up to his first-round pedigree. He has yet to reach double-digit fantasy points or 50 receiving yards in a game. Meanwhile, Knox has reached double digits once, scoring exactly 10 fantasy points, but he has posted fewer than six fantasy points in every other game. The “DK Bros” in Buffalo are splitting reps and fighting to be, at best, third in the target pecking order. The Giants are a favorable matchup for tight ends, but I would still avoid the Bills duo.
Everett is a better real-life asset than fantasy option. So far this season, he has yet to reach double-digit fantasy points in any of his games. He’s splitting reps with Donald Parham — and Parham is the tight end getting the bulk of usage in the red zone. That’s left Everett as a low-floor option, and we have yet to see the upside this season. George Kittle ate last week against the Cowboys, but Dallas had been stingy to the position prior to that. I would stream elsewhere this week.
