Making fantasy football lineup decisions can be incredibly frustrating or incredibly rewarding; it all depends on how often you get it correct. Here to help you make those decisions are our positional start ’em and sit ’em picks.
Fantasy decisions are more important than ever, with titles on the line. So, let’s look at our Week 17 start/sit plays for the TE position.
Which TE Should You Start in Fantasy This Week?
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers (at DEN)
Gerald Everett may have one of the lowest ceilings at the tight end position, but many of us just need a decent floor. That, he can do.
Everett has scored at least 8.4 fantasy points in five straight games, and he’s seen exactly eight targets in three straight.
With Keenan Allen almost certainly not playing again this season with his injury, Everett is the de facto second option in this passing game behind Joshua Palmer.
Against a Broncos defense allowing 16.5 points per game to tight ends, the most in the league, Everett is a surefire TE1 this week.
Which TE Should You Sit in Fantasy This Week?
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans (vs. TEN)
It’s difficult to recommend sitting any tight ends that are seeing reasonable target shares.
If you need to start Dalton Schultz, it’s fine. He was able to manage a 4-58 line on five targets when these teams met two weeks ago.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
The concern with Schultz is the Titans have been the best team at defending the tight end all season, allowing just 8.6 fantasy points per game to the position. A mere 11% of their total receiving yards allowed have gone to tight ends.
C.J. Stroud’s potential return would certainly help, but Schultz is unlikely to produce a big game in a tough matchup this week.
Trending Searches for TE Start/Sit
Did you know that we have a Start/Sit Optimizer here at Pro Football Network?! It’s completely free to use, and it allows you to enter up to six players to find the best option to plug into your starting lineup!
It also allows us to see the most popular trending searches, and we’ve jotted some of them down here to help provide some clarity on!
Should You Start Everett or Kyle Pitts?
It only took 16 weeks, but the fantasy community as a whole has finally seemed to accept that Kyle Pitts just isn’t very good. Sure, he’s scored 13.9 and 14.7 points in two of his last there, but he scored in both of those games. He is entirely a touchdown-dependent option, as the volume is not there.
Pitts has caught no more than four passes in a whopping 10 consecutive games. Over that span, his highest receiving total was 57 yards. He’s crested double-digit fantasy points a total of four times this season. In three of those games, he found the end zone.
Gerald Everett is a much safer bet with a much higher floor. He has a larger role in his offense and a better matchup. The Start/Sit Optimizer has Everett projected for 8.5 points to Pitts’ 7.7. I agree. Start Everett.
Should You Start Schultz or Dalton Kincaid?
I really thought Dawson Knox’s return wouldn’t negatively impact Dalton Kincaid that much. Got that one wrong. Over the past three weeks, Kincaid has scored 8.8 fantasy points … total. That included a game where he had zero. Over the past two weeks, Kincaid has seen a total of two targets in each game.
It’s difficult to put forth an argument for Kincaid this week against a Patriots defense that allows 9.6 points per game to tight ends, the third-fewest amount in the league. The best I’ve got is Kincaid did catch all eight of his targets for 75 yards when these teams met back in Week 7.
Of course, that was a different time. The Bills were still a pass-first offense. Kincaid was first breaking out. Stefon Diggs was still good at football. A lot has changed since then.
While the matchup is tough, the Bills still have a far superior offense to that of the Texans. The Start/Sit Optimizer doesn’t view either as an inspiring start, with Kincaid projected for 8.3 points to Schultz’s 7.7. But it does have Kincaid slightly ahead. I agree. Start Kincaid, but be sure to not expect anything when you do.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
