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
Let me be clear: Kincaid isn't just the "Start of the Week" -- he's a permanent must-start fixture at the position and might be a top-three fantasy tight end in 2026. The former first-round pick has always been efficient -- averaging a robust 2.0 yards per route run since he was drafted in 2023, Kincaid ranks second in that category to George Kittle among tight ends with 100-plus routes in that span -- and he's finally seeing elite usage, leading Buffalo in routes (44), targets (14), catches (12) and receiving yards (225) through two games. As a primary fixture in the league's best offense, paired with its best quarterback, Kincaid should not exit your fantasy lineup until the Bills' Week 7 bye.
Notable starts
It appears Kelce might not be washed after all. The soon-to-be 37-year-old is averaging an elite 14.3 yards per reception and comfortably leads Kansas City in catches. Against a Miami defense that just allowed 18.0 fantasy points to George Kittle, Kelce is a high-end starter.
Andrews has yet to find the end zone, but he's caught 10 of 13 targets for 98 yards. The Cowboys have allowed the third-most fantasy points per target to tight ends (3.1) and were scorched for 27.8 points by Isaiah Likely in Week 1.
After an OK performance in Week 1, Kraft was a complete dud in Week 2 and now has fantasy managers questioning their mid-round investment. Be patient. He's still explosive, and the Falcons have allowed three touchdowns to the combination of Pat Freiermuth and Darren Waller.
Speaking of Freiermuth, the Steelers tight end has quietly caught nine of his 10 targets through two games. More importantly, he's now playing the Bengals, who are a dream matchup for tight ends, having just allowed an absurd 26.0 fantasy points to Dalton Schultz.
If you need a streamer in an extremely deep league, the Washington defense is incapable of defending tight ends. Also, Barner has sneaky touchdown potential on "The Barnyard," Seattle's version of "The Tush Push."
Sit 'Em
Sit of the Week
A one-week fantasy bagel is an aberration. One catch for 3 yards over two full games is a real problem. Loveland has been a non-factor in Chicago's passing game, despite running the most routes on the team. Now, Caleb Williams has a hamstring injury and Tyson Bagent is in concussion protocol, meaning Case Keenum could start at quarterback on Monday night. Meanwhile, the Eagles' defense has allowed 10.2 fantasy points to tight ends in total, tied for the lowest sum in the league. Loveland has the talent to explode into relevance in any given week, but it's hard to trust him entering Week 3.
Notable sits
Surely the return of Michael Penix Jr. will fix Pitts for fantasy ... right? Not necessarily. Pitts has averaged just 8.4 fantasy points per game in Penix's 12 career starts, scoring in the single digits in eight of those contests.
If you're tempted to play Ferguson after his 20.3-point game against Washington ... don't. That outing was all about the Commanders' defense, which cannot cover tight ends. Ferguson will be much quieter against Baltimore's D in Brazil.
