As always, Start 'Em, Sit 'Em is geared toward helping fantasy managers make difficult roster decisions. You won't see "start Jahmyr Gibbs" here. Instead, I'm exploring the players closer to the perceived fringe and aiming to optimize your lineup for a win each week. Importantly, the new "Start of the Week" and "Sit of the Week" are the calls I have deemed the most notable in each category, not necessarily the most essential players to start or sit.
Also, you'll see quite a few references in this year's column to NFL Pro, spotlighting insights provided through Next Gen Stats data dashboards, matchup evaluations, All-22 film and the uniquely trained Fantasy AI Assistant. You can get access to all of those tools yourself with an NFL+ Premium subscription!
P.S. Feel free to follow me on X (@MattOkada) or Instagram (@mattokadaNFL) and hit me with your questions, congratulations or complaints throughout the year.
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
Some tight ends make this section with high-target volume or touchdown production. Henry makes it by catching just about every target he earns -- and because he's facing the Lions' defense on Sunday. On the season, Henry's 86.5% catch rate leads all non-running backs with 30-plus targets, and his 2.16 fantasy points per target ranks third among tight ends on that same list. In Week 10, with the Patriots' receiving options thinned by injury, Henry gets the best matchup in fantasy by far: Detroit is allowing 25.1 fantasy points per game to tight ends, nearly double the league average. Henry goes from a borderline streamer to a strong start and should replace some of the big names in the "Sits" group below.
Notable starts
Likely is almost too obvious for this column, so this might be his last appearance. He's scored at least 13 fantasy points in four of his last five games and gets a Commanders defense allowing a league-high 2.3 fantasy points per target to tight ends. He's my TE3 on the week and deserves a shoutout.
Prior to Pittsburgh's Week 9 bye, Freiermuth hit double-digit fantasy points for the fourth time this season, having scored at least one touchdown in each of those outings. The Bengals are allowing the second-most receiving yards per game to tight ends this season, raising 'Muth's floor to decent streamer status.
This is for deep leagues, desperate situations and/or daily fantasy. Raridon is a sneaky streamer against the Lions' leaky defense. The Patriots rookie has 50-plus yards in three of his last five games and is seventh at the position with 2.1 yards per route run (min. 100 routes).
Sit 'Em
Sit of the Week
Last week, Dalton Kincaid was a "Sit" against this Vikings' defense, and that advice panned out, as Kincaid logged just 5.8 fantasy points on three catches. Kraft has been more consistent than Kincaid this season, but he's not matchup-proof by any means and can be occasionally phased out by Christian Watson and Matthew Golden (as he was against New England with only one catch on three targets). Minnesota has allowed just 3.9 receptions and 9.3 points per game to tight ends, both fewest in the league, yielding just one touchdown to the position in eight games. It's bold, but you can look to a high-floor streamer -- like Hunter Henry -- in Kraft's stead.
Notable sits
The hope is that trade acquisition Jacoby Brissett brings a resurgence for Andrews in Baltimore, after he force-fed Trey McBride over the last two years in Arizona. But it's a thin hope. The Chargers have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends, and Andrews has not reached 30 receiving yards in a game since Week 2.
Like Tucker Kraft, LaPorta is another bold sit candidate, but his placement here is only partially about the tough matchup in Munich. New England is allowing the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends, but LaPorta has also scored fewer than eight points in three straight contests, averaging just 27.7 receiving yards per game over that span.
Strange was a solid streamer early in the year but has faded lately with the Jaguars blowing out opponents and throwing at a reduced rate. They should do the same against the Titans on Sunday, so Strange is unlikely to see enough volume to crack TE1 range.
