This article dives deep into some interesting stats that may not always be brought up when discussing a player, but they’re interesting to know. We will talk about tight ends who play their division six times throughout the season. A stat like that is important since they impact a third of their games. These nine veteran tight ends have played in their division for at least three-plus seasons. Let’s discuss some trends we can find with these tight ends.
Kyle Pitts – Atlanta Falcons
| Per Game | G | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Ctch% | FPs (3 Years) |
| Carolina Panthers | 6 | 6.0 | 3.2 | 43.8 | 13.8 | 0.2 | 52.8% | 7.0 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5 | 4.8 | 2.2 | 27.6 | 12.6 | 0.0 | 45.8% | 3.9 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4 | 6.0 | 3.8 | 56.3 | 15.0 | 0.3 | 62.5% | 9.0 |
Kyle Pitts‘ three years in the league have been up and down, just like his production against the NFC South. The Panthers have been a decent opponent for Pitts to produce against in his career. He has averaged 43 yards and 7 fantasy points per game (fppg). Last year, he was unable to do much against the Panthers as he finished under six fantasy points in both games. He has eight or more fantasy points in games where Pitts can secure five receptions. Hopefully, with the arrival of Kirk Cousins, Pitts can improve on these numbers.
The Saints have been the team that Pitts has struggled to produce against. He has averaged under four fantasy points per game. He also has been under 30 yards and has yet to score in five career games. After a solid first game against the Saints, his last four games have been poor. Pitts has been unable to cross over four fantasy points since 2021. Even with decent targets for a tight end, Pitts should be someone to avoid versus the Saints until we see how good this offense could be.
The Buccaneers are a team which Pitts has solid production against. Pitts has averaged over 50 yards and 9 fppg. Last year, his production was average with games of 6.2 and 13.2 against the Bucs. The Bucs are the team that Pitts does the best against, so you should continue to play Pitts with confidence. We can only hope that his new quarterback can help improve his numbers.
Mark Andrews – Baltimore Ravens
| Per Game | G | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Ctch% | FPs (3 Years) |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 11 | 6.7 | 4.7 | 54.6 | 11.6 | 0.6 | 70.3% | 12.8 |
| Cleveland Browns | 12 | 6.3 | 4.2 | 55.4 | 13.3 | 0.8 | 65.8% | 11.8 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 | 7.8 | 4.7 | 50.7 | 10.9 | 0.0 | 60.0% | 9.2 |
Mark Andrews has a nice career in fantasy football—especially within his division. The Bengals have been the team he has done best against. Andrews has averaged 12.8 fppg. He certainly is able to do well on the road in Cincinnati, as he has averaged 17.5 fantasy points in the last three seasons. In the two poor games for Andrews, only one was considered bad, which was under five fantasy points. In that game, Andrews had 3.3 fantasy points but only played 11 percent of the snaps after getting hurt in that game. Andrews should continue to be a must-start tight end, especially against the Bengals.
We move toward the Browns, who Andrews has also done great against. That 11.8 fantasy points per game is solid, but it could have been even higher. Andrews struggled in 2022 versus the Browns as the Ravens’ starting quarterbacks combined for 250 yards over two games. Andrews was at a disadvantage in producing for fantasy. Andrews needs to score against the Browns to put up solid fantasy numbers. In three games where Andrews failed to score, he combined for just 73 yards. I wouldn’t worry too much as I’d expect Andrews to be able to produce against Cleveland.
Pittsburgh is the team that Andrews has averaged the least fppg against. Surprisingly, Andrews has never scored against the Steelers in nine career games. He has played better at home, with an average of 13 fantasy points compared to 6.9 fantasy points on the road. Andrews managed decent production against the Steelers with four of five games over eight fantasy points, but the lack of touchdowns has hurt. Dynasty owners shouldn’t worry too much, but they must understand that his upside may be capped versus Pittsburgh.
Cole Kmet – Chicago Bears
| Per Game | G | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Ctch% | FPs (3 Years) |
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 5.3 | 3.5 | 36.9 | 10.5 | 0.5 | 66.7% | 9.2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 34.0 | 9.4 | 0.0 | 72.5% | 5.5 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 36.5 | 9.7 | 0.1 | 78.9% | 7.8 |
Next up is the Bears’ tight end Cole Kmet, who will have some competition for targets in 2024. We can only hope he can sustain his production against the Lions. His value isn’t due to his yardage, with only 36.9 yards per game. His value comes with his ability to catch touchdowns. He has four in eight career games. In Detroit, he has shown the ability to put up consistent numbers, averaging nine points in away games. At home, his fantasy numbers fluctuate with a 21-point game and two games under four points. You should expect Kmet to boom or bust in 2024.
The Packers have been the team that Kmet has struggled with in his career. Kmet has never scored against the Packers. He has been under seven fantasy points in five of his last six games. While his target share has been solid, with five games over five targets, we should see a drop in 2024. I’d likely stay away from Kmet, but I really would when he plays the Packers.
Like the Packers, the Vikings have also been a tough match-up for Kmet to produce great numbers. Kmet has also struggled to cross the end zone against the Vikings with one career touchdown. Kmet has benefited at home the last few years, playing the Vikings in Week 18 when games matter less. We saw that with back-to-back home games of ten plus points, but in 2023, that didn’t happen. He has his worst home game against the Vikings in the last three years. His on the road play in Minnesota has been solid with 6.5 fantasy points. Kmet isn’t a strong start against the Vikings this season.
David Njoku – Cleveland Browns
| Per Game | G | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Ctch% | FPs (3 Years) |
| Baltimore Ravens | 11 | 5.9 | 3.9 | 44.6 | 11.4 | 0.3 | 66.2% | 8.5 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 11 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 30.0 | 11.4 | 0.5 | 76.3% | 7.3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 12 | 5.1 | 3.4 | 32.8 | 9.6 | 0.3 | 67.2% | 10.6 |
David Njoku has been a solid tight end over his fantasy career. He has decent numbers against his division. The Ravens are a team that Njoku can do well against. He is better on the road in Baltimore, as he has eight or more fantasy points in his last three away games. Njoku has been solid but hasn’t scored against the Ravens since the 2021 season. Njoku should be considered as solid low-end TE1 against the Ravens in 2024.
The Bengals are the team against which Njoku has the worst statistics in fantasy. Njoku thrives on the road with an average of 12 fantasy points per game over the last 3 years. At home, two games are under four fantasy points. There is no pattern to Njoku’s production against the Bengals. Thankfully, his average touchdowns keep him afloat in games. Njoku should still be considered startable against Cincinnati.
The Steelers are the team that Njoku has done the best against. He has averaged 10 fantasy points per game over the last 3 years. He has nine or more fantasy points in four of the previous six games. As long as Njoku has at least seven plus receptions, you should expect great production from the Cleveland tight end. You need Njoku to rely on getting touchdowns in games with five or fewer receptions. A lot of Njoku’s production against the Steelers has been over the last three years.
Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs
| Per Game | G | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Ctch% | FPs (3 Years) |
| Denver Broncos | 19 | 8.8 | 6.1 | 77.5 | 12.7 | 0.3 | 69.0% | 9.7 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 20 | 7.5 | 5.6 | 71.2 | 12.8 | 0.6 | 74.0% | 12.7 |
| Las Angeles Chargers | 18 | 7.7 | 5.6 | 67.9 | 12.2 | 0.4 | 71.9% | 24.0 |
We move toward the great Travis Kelce and his dominance against the AFC East. The Broncos have been a team that Kelce has done well against in NFL games, but his production has been average at best in fantasy. Over his career, the Broncos have allowed Kelce the most yards per game, but 9.7 fantasy points aren’t elite numbers. Kelce has just played in two games over the last three years where he put up more than 10 fantasy points against the Broncos. Kelce has always had a high target share with 8.8 targets per game. The issue is that Denver has been great at limiting Mahomes to some extent, which has limited Kelce in the offense.
The Raiders are right in the middle of the division against which Kelce thrives. Kelce averages 71 yards in 20 career games, which is very impressive for a tight end. He has the highest catch rate among the division as well. For fantasy, Kelce has been hot and cold against the Raiders. Kelce has been held under 45 yards in 4 of 6 games against the Raiders. In one of those games, he did end up with four touchdowns. The Raiders are going to be a tougher defense. Kelce is going to have to be brilliant in order to produce against them.
The Chargers, on a per-game average, have been the team that Kelce has had lower production against over his NFL career. Kelce’s lowest game in the last three years against the Chargers is 7.9. What makes Kelce elite is that he has played three games in the last three years, scoring 29 plus fantasy points against the Chargers defense. Based on this Chargers defense that is currently in rebuilding mode, Kelce should be able to take advantage this season.
George Kittle – San Francisco 49ers
| Per Game | G | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Ctch% | FPs (3 Years) |
| Arizona Cardinals | 12 | 5.5 | 3.8 | 57.8 | 15.1 | 0.5 | 69.7% | 13.2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 12 | 6.5 | 4.3 | 62.5 | 14.7 | 0.4 | 65.4% | 16.6 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 12 | 6.9 | 4.8 | 66.6 | 14.0 | 0.5 | 68.7% | 7.3 |
We move toward George Kittle, who has been a beast against the NFC West during his career. The Cardinals are the team that Kittle has his fewest career yards against, but the fantasy points are high. The reason is that he had 15-plus fantasy points in games during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. In 2023, things were different for Kittle as he had under seven fantasy points in both games. Kittle suffers from being on a team with too much talent as other players went off against the Cardinals. Kittle should be a starting option when playing the Cardinals.
The Seahawks have been the team that Kittle has done the best against for fantasy. He averages 16.6 fantasy points in his last 5 games against the Seahawks. He has 3 games over 15 fantasy points in his last 5. Kittle’s poor game was due to the talent within the 49ers. Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel would have monster games, leaving Kittle no need to perform. He should remain a must-start against the Seahawks.
Kittle has done well with his NFL stats against the Rams over his career. He averages 67 yards and half a touchdown per game. In fantasy, that’s a different story in the more recent years. Kittle has only two games over five fantasy points in the last five games. In the two games that Kittle produced, he was able to score a touchdown. In those other games, Kittle was held to under 30 yards. Kittle should continue to be a start despite the poor success in the last three seasons.
Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles
| Per Game | G | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Ctch% | FPs (3 Years) |
| Dallas Cowboys | 11 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 44.7 | 14.1 | 0.3 | 76.1% | 6.1 |
| New York Giants | 10 | 5.3 | 3.2 | 32.8 | 10.3 | 0.0 | 60.4% | 4.7 |
| Washington Commanders | 11 | 5.3 | 3.9 | 46.8 | 12.0 | 0.3 | 74.1% | 9.4 |
For someone like Dallas Goedert (a solid tight end), he has failed to do much against the NFC East. Starting with the Cowboys, he has decent yardage with almost 45 yards per game, but the fantasy points for the last three years have not been great. Goedert hasn’t scored over 10 fantasy points in any game against the Cowboys in the previous 3 years. The lack of opportunities have kept Goedert at a minimum, with four targets or fewer in four of these last five games.
Surprisingly, the Giants are the team that Goedert has done poorly against. He averages only 4.7 fantasy points in the last three seasons. He has also never scored a touchdown against the Giants. He has just two games in the previous five outings and has gone over four fantasy points. He is undoubtedly a bit better at home, as he has under one fantasy point in his last two road games. Goedert, with the lack of targets, should be considered a sit against the Giants.
We move to the team that Goedert does the best against in the Washington Commanders. He averages the most yards and has a 9.4 fantasy points average over the last three years. Between 2021 and 2022, Goedert put up 11.7 fantasy points per game against the Commanders. Last year, he was not as good, scoring an average of 4.5 fantasy points. Unfortunately, the production didn’t favor Goedert in this matchup in 2023. He should continue to be a low-end starter in fantasy against the Commanders.
Pat Freiermuth – Pittsburgh Steelers
| Per Game | G | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Ctch% | FPs (3 Years) |
| Baltimore Ravens | 5 | 5.4 | 3.4 | 33.8 | 9.9 | 0.2 | 63.0% | 6.3 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 6 | 7.0 | 4.8 | 56.0 | 11.6 | 0.3 | 69.0% | 10.0 |
| Cleveland Browns | 6 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 19.3 | 8.9 | 0.2 | 61.9% | 4.0 |
Pat Freiermuth has had up-and-down success against the AFC North in his three-year career. The Ravens have been a team Freiermuth has done below average against. He only averages 33 yards and 6.3 fantasy points per game. He has only crossed 10 fantasy points once in his 3-year career. Freiermuth has been under 50 yards in each of the last 4 games. His 10.8-point performance in 2022 was because of a touchdown. Unless this Steelers offense makes major improvements, Freiermuth may be a sit against the Ravens.
The Bengals are a team that have allotted Freiermuth some good achievements in his career. He averages over 50 yards and comes in around five fantasy points per game. Freiermuth has played well, with just one game under nine points in the last three seasons. He had a dud game in Week 16 of the 2023 season. That game featured Mason Rudolph throwing to George Pickens. Freiermuth has had over 70 yards in 3 of the last 4 games. The improvement at quarterback should continue to make Freiermuth a worthy start in fantasy against the Bengals.
The Browns have been the hardest team for Freiermuth to make any real production against. His horrible 19.3 yards per game is awful, and he averages just 4 fantasy points. He has been under six fantasy points in five of his last six games. He produced a 12-point game because of a touchdown he scored. The 2023 season was horrible for Freiermuth, with two receptions for nine yards over two games. There is hope with this new offense, but Freiermuth may not be so trustworthy against the AFC North.
Hunter Henry – New England Patriots
| Per Game | G | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Ctch% | FPs (3 Years) |
| Miami Dolphins | 6 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 44.8 | 11.3 | 0.2 | 85.6% | 7.5 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5 | 4.2 | 2.2 | 18.2 | 9.8 | 0.0 | 50.0% | 3.7 |
| New York Jets | 5 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 24.8 | 15.3 | 0.2 | 63.3% | 4.5 |
Finally, we are at Hunter Henry for the Patriots. Henry has been with the Patriots for three seasons and is returning for his fourth. The Dolphins have been a defense that Hunter has done decent against in New England. He averages 44 yards and 7.5 fantasy points. While 7.5 isn’t that great, it is better than others within the division. Henry has done solid when he has been able to get six-plus targets in games. Fewer than six targets, he has failed to do much. This new offense may be able to help Henry be a little more consistent.
Henry has struggled against the Bills as a member of the Patriots. He has not scored against them in three seasons and averages 3.7 fantasy points per game. His highest output in 5 games was 7.2 in Week 18 of the 2022 season. Henry is already not one to start, but in deeper leagues, you may want to stay away from Henry when he faces the Bills.
The Jets are similar to the Bills in that Henry doesn’t produce. Henry started decently with 16 total fantasy points during his first season with the Patriots. In his last three games, Henry has scored under three fantasy points. The Jet’s defense will continue to be a tough match-up. Henry should be on your bench during those weeks.
Thank you for reading! For further fantasy advice, hit me up on X @CoachStevenP or on the Dynasty Nerds Discord! My content is aimed for those in the #NerdHerd wanting easily-digestible information to help them win a dynasty championship.
