The Dynasty Nerds writers are here to provide you with weekly starts and sits all season long. We will be making our recommendations based on weekly consensus PPR rankings. Here are the tight end starts and sits from senior writer Steven Pintado.
One thing to keep in mind when making your start/sit decisions; it will ALWAYS depend on who your other options are. Don’t take the players below out of (or put them into) your lineup unless the alternatives are worth it.
NOTE: Rankings are sourced from FantasyPros expert consensus expert rankings (ECR) and our terminology is for a 12-team PPR league. So, saying RB2 means top 24, or RB1 means top 12, etc.
Our writers answer all start/sit questions on Discord before the games exclusively for the #Nerdherd. The advanced metrics used in this article are courtesy of Fantasy Points Data Suite, use code NERDS for 25% off your own data suite subscription or All-in bundle.
TIGHT END CHEAT SHEET
| Tight End Matchups | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 3 Toughest Defenses Against TEs | ||||
| Fantasy Player | Opposing Team | Def vs FPPG | Avg Def vs Yards | TDs Allowed |
| David Njoku | WAS | 2.2 | 21.5 | 0 |
| Johnny Mundt | NYJ | 2.4 | 24.3 | 0 |
| Dalton Kincaid | HOU | 2.7 | 12.3 | 1 |
| Top 3 Weakest Defenses Against TEs | ||||
| Fantasy Player | Opposing Team | Def vs FPPG | Avg Def vs Yards | TDs Allowed |
| Juwan Johnson | KC | 10.6 | 91.3 | 1 |
| Evan Engram | IND | 8.7 | 56.5 | 2 |
| Cole Kmet | CAR | 8.4 | 42.8 | 2 |
TIGHT END SIT
Cole Kmet | Chicago Bears | TE 6
Week 4 Stats | TE20 | FPts 6.4 | Tgts 3 | Rec 3 | Yds 34 | TDs 0 | Confidence 65%
Our tight end sit of the week is Chicago Bear, Cole Kmet. We saw last week that Kmet had issues getting targets in the Bears offense. After 11 targets in Week 3, Kmet would finish with only 3 targets as the return of Keenan Allen appears to have shrunk his role as a pass-catcher.
While Cole Kmet looks to have an easier matchup, it could be a trap game due to this offense. In the two games with all the skilled players active on the field, Kmet is fifth in targets. Unfortunately, he will be limited from having big games like we saw a few weeks ago.
This is a game that the Bears could get ahead and allow the run game to take over again. Fantasy managers who start Kmet may be disappointed with his finish on Sunday.
TIGHT END START
Jake Ferguson | Dallas Cowboys | TE 5
Week 4 Stats | TE7 | FPts 11.9 | Tgts 7 | Rec 7 | Yds 49 | TDs 0 | Confidence 95%
Jake Ferguson needs to be in lineups for Week 5. You could argue he is the best tight end to start this week. Brandin Cooks is going to miss Week 5 with an injury. Ferguson is already averaging 7.7 targets per game, so he could reach double digits in this one.
The Steelers’ weak spot is defending the tight end position this year. The Cowboys defense is a wreck, so this could be a game where the offense needs to throw the ball more. Since the Cowboys run game has also been ineffective, Ferguson should have a big game in Week 5 on Sunday night.
TIGHT END STREAMER
Erik All Jr. | Cincinnati Bengals | TE 24
Week 4 Stats | TE19 | FPts 6.8 | Tgts 4 | Rec 4 | Yds 28 | TDs 0 | Confidence 50%
If you are still struggling to find a tight end to play in Week 5, then Erik All Jr. should be your target. He has been getting four targets per game since Week 2. We’ve seen twice in three games that All Jr. has played over 50% of the offensive snaps. While Mike Gesicki has been the guy at tight end for the first month of the season, Erik All seems to be cutting into his playing time.
The Ravens have been a favorable matchup, as opposing tight ends have produced 40 or more receiving yards in each game. This Week 5 matchup should be a shootout, as both offenses should move the ball with ease. The Bengals have been an elite passing team, so All Jr. may be able to help you in a pinch.
TIGHT END SPOTLIGHT
Dalton Kincaid | Buffalo Bills | TE 10
Week 4 Stats | TE11 | FPts 9.7 | Tgts 5 | Rec 7 | Yds 47 | TDs 0 | Confidence 75%
For Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid, it has been a disappointing start based on the expectations prior to the season. He has done decently in the last 2 weeks, scoring a combined 22.8 fantasy points.
This week he plays a Texans defense that ranked fourth-best in stopping fantasy tight ends this year. However, outside of Cole Kmet, the opposing tight ends.that Houston has faced are third-tier players who are mainly backups.
This Texans and Bills game could turn into a shootout, allowing Kincaid to do well. I’d trust Kincaid to see over five targets and finish with TE1 numbers in Week 5.
Tight End REDEMPTION
Brock Bowers | Las Vegas Raiders | TE 3
Week 4 Stats | TE23 | FPts 5.1 | Tgts 2 | Rec 3 | Yds 19 | TDs 0 | Confidence 95%
Our last tight end is Brock Bowers, who is looking for redemption in Week 5. Bowers had an opportunity for a big game with Davante Adams out of the lineup in Week 4. Bowers has suffered after a combined 7 targets in the last two weeks after starting the season—after 17 in Weeks 1 and 2.
This Broncos team has been elite at stopping fantasy wide receivers this season. Bowers, who is already playing 50% of his snaps from the slot, should be able to produce over the middle of the field. The Raiders need to get him going again to help out the offense that has struggled in across the board.
That’s it for Week 5! Feel free to reach out on Twitter (X) @coachstevenp if you have any specific questions about who I would start.
If you enjoyed this micro view of our start/sit series, check out the full Positional Matchups chart from fellow Nerd Brad Custer (@MonCalFF) complete with IDP for every one of your starting spots:
