The Dynasty Nerds writers are here to provide you with weekly start/sit advice all season long. We will be makng our recommendations based on weekly consensus PPR rankings. Here is the Week 8 Tight End Start/Sit from Senior Nerd Steven Pintado.
One thing to keep in mind when making your tight end 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 TE2 means top 24, or TE1 means top 12, etc.
Our writers answer all positions questions, including tight end start/sit, 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 START/SIT CHEAT SHEET | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 3 Toughest Matchups | ||||
| Fantasy Player | Opposing Team | Def vs FPPG | Avg Def vs Yards | TDs Allowed |
| Mike Gesicki | PHI | 2.6 | 25.5 | 0 |
| Trey McBride | MIA | 2.9 | 29.3 | 0 |
| Sam LaPorta | TEN | 3 | 29.5 | 0 |
| Top 3 Softest Matchups | ||||
| Fantasy Player | Opposing Team | Def vs FPPG | Avg Def vs Yards | TDs Allowed |
| T.J. Hockenson | LAR | 10.8 | 67.8 | 3 |
| Brock Bowers | KC | 10.4 | 83.5 | 2 |
| Lucas Krull | CAR | 9.3 | 52.3 | 4 |
Tight End start/SIT
Pat Freiermuth | Pittsburgh Steelers | TE 16
Week 7 Stats | TE24 | FPts 7.1 | Tgts 3 | Rec 2 | Yds 51 | Confidence 55%
Our tight end sit of the week is Pittsburgh Steeler, Pat Freiermuth. The Steelers will be going up against the New York Giants, who have allowed 3.5 FPPG on average to tight ends. They have not allowed a tight end to score a touchdown and allowed only 2 TEs to have over 30 receiving yards.
The addition of Russell Wilson should help open up the passing game, but this team still wants to run the ball and play good defense. I wouldn’t expect much from Freiermuth, who has only 1 game over 10 fantasy points this year. He should be on your bench in Week 8.
Tight End START/sit
Cade Otton | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TE 11
Week 7 Stats | TE5 | FPts 18 | Tgts 10 | Rec 8 | Yds 100 | Confidence 80%
The tight end you should try to get into your lineup for Week 8 is Cade Otton. In a high-scoring game, the Buccaneers tight end hit career highs in receptions (8) and yards (100). He’ll face off against the Falcons, who have been a solid matchup for the position.
Last time these teams played, Otton produced 3 receptions for 44 yards. In this rematch, the Buccaneers won’t have Chris Godwin or Mike Evans, who averaged 15 targets per game. With Evans down early in Week 7, we saw Otton step up and produce. I expect this to be another high-scoring game, and Otton should produce for your fantasy lineups.
Streamer | Tight End START/sit
Jonnu Smith | Miami Dolphins | TE 20
Week 7 Stats | TE2 | FPts 22.6 | Tgts 7 | Rec 7 | Yds 96 | TD 1 | Confidence 55%
We said that Jonnu Smith was a good streamer tight end last week, and it paid off for our fantasy lineups. Let’s go back to the well against Arizona. While the potential return of Tua Tagovailoa could change the landscape of the Dolphins offense, I’d still bet on Smith.
The Dolphins will face off against the Cardinals, who have allowed a TE1 in 2 of the last 3 weeks. I’d expect Miami to shake off the rust and become the high-powered offense we know them to be. If you are looking for a tight end to help out for the week, Jonnu Smith is for you.
Spotlight | Tight End start/SIT
Sam LaPorta | Detroit Lions | TE 10
Week 7 Stats | TE37 | FPts 3.5 | Tgts 2 | Rec 1 | Yds 25 | Confidence 70%
Our spotlight tight end of the week is Sam LaPorta. Many fantasy owners may consider LaPorta a set-it-and-forget-it tight end, but he isn’t that in 2024. LaPorta only has 1 game over 10 fantasy points this season—an unexpected headache for managers. The Titans are a tough matchup for fantasy tight ends this year, allowing just 3 FPPG.
The recent news that Jameson Williams is suspensed could change fantasy managers’ minds and make them want to start LaPorta. That would be the wrong call since Jameson only averaged 2.5 targets over his last 4 games. The Lions run through Amon-Ra St. Brown and the running backs. Unfortunately, LaPorta will likely disappoint if you start him on Sunday.
Redemption | Tight End START/sit
Evan Engram | Jacksonville Jaguars | TE 5
Week 7 Stats | TE19 | FPts 8.5 | Tgts 5 | Rec 5 | Yds 35 | Confidence 90%
Evan Engram is our tight end start/sit looking to redeem himself in Week 8. Last week, Engram gave us a mediocre performance in London, but he should bounce back in this contest. He’ll face off against the Packers, who have allowed the 7th-most yards to the tight end position this year.
This is a good game script for Engram since the Packers will likely be leading this one, forcing the Jaguars to throw the ball more. In a negative game script, we saw that Engram gets targeted often and should finish as a high-end TE1 once more.
For a full write up on each game with FREE premium stats for every fantasy player, check out my Sunday Fantasy Preview for Week 8 and let me know what you think:
