Tight End Start/Sit Advice | Week 15 of THE 12 FORMATION

Win Your Week 15

• Week 15 Sunday Preview for Start/Sit | THE FULL SLATE
• Positional Matchups | Week 15 CheatChart | Find the Best Fantasy Performers
• Quarterback Start/Sit Advice | Week 15 of THE AUDIBLE
• Running Back Start/Sit Advice | Week 15 of THE CUTBACK
• Wide Receiver Start/Sit Advice | Week 15 of The SLANT PATTERN
• Tight End Start/Sit Advice | Week 15 of THE 12 FORMATION
• IDP Fantasy Start/Sit Advice | Week 15 of THE BLINDSIDE

The Dynasty Nerds writers are here to provide you with weekly start/sit advice all season long. We will be making our recommendations based on weekly consensus PPR rankings. Here is the Week 15 Tight End Start/Sit from Senior NFL Nerd Steven Pintado.

One thing to keep in mind when making your Week 15 quarterback start/sit decisions for the playoffs; sometimes you need to take a realistic look at your team and situation. If you squeaked into the playoffs or are suffering after the rough Thursday Night Football performance, it might be time to swing for the fences.

This time of year, one loss ends your season. But, if the odds are stacked against you, it’s time to come swinging. A wide receiver that will get you 10 points may not be enough. Someone like Jake Ferguson, Juwan Johnson, or Grant Calcaterra might end up falling flat but they could also end up being the reason you win. Here’s to hoping you win your fantasy championship this year! Now, let’s get to it…

Win Your Week 15 | QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP | CheatChart | Full Slate

NOTE: Rankings for the Week 15 Tight End Start/Sit are sourced from FantasyPros expert consensus expert rankings (ECR). Our terminology is for a 12-team PPR league. So, TE1 means top 12, or TE2 means top 24, etc.

Our writers answer all positional questions, including Week 15 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.

Week 15 Tight End PPR Rankings by Steven Pintado

START | Week 15 Tight End Start/Sit

TJ Hockenson | Minnesota Vikings | TE 6

Week 14 Stats | TE25 | FPts 8.3 | Tgts 6 | Rec 5 | Yds 33 | Confidence 88%

Our start of the week has to be Vikings’ TJ Hockenson. Hockenson has been a little up and down since returning from injury. He was an afterthought last week, with Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson having elite performances. Hockenson has a great matchup heading into the first week of the fantasy playoffs against the Bears. According to Pro Football Reference, Chicago has a bottom-10 defense against tight ends.

The last time these two teams faced off, Hockenson was able to dominate the Bears defense, as he went over 100 yards in that game. The Bears have allowed an opposing tight end over 65 receiving yards in 5 of the last 8 games. It gets worse for Chicago, in the last 3 weeks, they have allowed 100 receiving yards or more to a tight end in 2 of the games. If Hockenson can return to an 8- to 9-target game, he should be great for your lineups in Week 15.

SIT | Week 15 Tight End Start/Sit

Hunter Henry | New England Patriots | TE 12

Week 14 Stats | Bye Week | Confidence 72%

Our tight end sit of the week is Hunter Henry. The Patriots’ tight end is coming off a bye week, but prior to that, he had 7 receptions for 75 yards in Week 13. Henry has been a solid fantasy tight end this season, averaging 9.6 FPPG in PPR leagues. He also has an average of 6.4 targets per game, leading this team.

Henry faces the Cardinals, who rank as the 6th-toughest defense versus tight ends. Arizona has successfully kept opposing TEs under 30 receiving yards in 6-straight games, including games against Jonnu Smith, T.J. Hockenson, and Cole Kmet. This could be a trap game for Henry during the first week of the playoffs, and you should look to avoid him.

Streamer | START | Week 15 Tight End Start/Sit

Noah Fant | Seattle Seahawks | TE 24

Week 14 Stats | TE31 | FPts 5.7 | Tgts 6 | Rec 3 | Yds 27 | Confidence 65%

Noah Fant returned from injury a few weeks ago but has been average in the last two weeks. This could be the week Fant can produce and finally score his first touchdown of the season. He’ll face off on Sunday Night Football against a bottom-10 defense versus TEs in the Green Bay Packers. They have allowed 812 yards to tight ends, the seventh-most in the NFL.

In the last 3 weeks, the Packers have allowed an opposing tight end to finish as a TE1 week in fantasy each week. In that span they allowed those tight ends over 50 receiving yards in each game. This game could be very competitive and high-scoring, with an over/under of 45.5. If you are struggling to find a tight end in the playoffs, Noah Fant could be a sneaky surprise for Week 15.

Spotlight | START/SIT | Week 15 Tight End Start/Sit

Cade Otton | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TE 13

Week 14 Stats | TE11 | FPts 10 | Tgts 4 | Rec 3 | Yds 70 | Confidence 70%

Cade Otton has been a little more of a question mark in fantasy since the return of Mike Evans. He has averaged 7 FPPG in that span. Mike Evans has not been practicing this week due to an injury. If Evans misses the game, Otton could again see a major target share increase like he did in the middle of the season. From weeks 7-9, Otton averaged 10 targets and 22.9 FPPG.

Otton could be in for a surge in fantasy opportunities for the playoffs. Unfortunately, he will face off against the Chargers in Week 15. The Chargers have a top-5 defense against fantasy tight ends this season. The Chargers have allowed just one TE1 finish in the last seven games. No matter who is on the field with Otton on Sunday, it may be tough to trust Otton with such a difficult matchup. If Evans plays, Otton is a sit candidate.

Editor’s note: Mike Evans returned to practice Friday. His game time status is currently unknown.

Redemption | START | Week 15 Tight End Start/Sit

Jake Ferguson | Dallas Cowboys | TE 14

Week 14 Stats | TE21 | FPts 6.2 | Tgts 6 | Rec 3 | Yds 32 | Confidence 75%

Last week, Jake Ferguson was supposed to have a great game, but his 3 catches for 32 yards wasn’t a big impact for a fantasy lineups. It’s time to sweep that under the mat as Ferguson has a prime matchup in Week 15 against the Panthers. Carolina allows the most FPPG to tight ends at 11.5 points. They have also allowed a league-high 10 touchdowns to the position.

Most of this production has happened in the last 7 weeks of the season, as the Panthers have given up 8 receiving touchdowns in that span. The Panthers and Cowboys offenses have played more competitively, so don’t expect this game to be low-scoring on Sunday. In Ferguson’s first game back, he was second in targets, so he should be able to see between 5 and 7 targets in this game. Trust Ferguson again in the first round of your fantasy playoffs.

Looking ahead to 2025, check out NFL Draft Nerd Bobby Bishop‘s NFL Mock Draft 2.0 with two rounds of selections for all 32 NFL teams:

Win Your Week 15 | QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP | CheatChart | Full Slate

Week 15 Tight End PPR Rankings

NOTE: These rankings are made prior to final injury designations. Players may be ranked higher or lower based on the perceived likelihood of them playing and/or their effectiveness if they do play.

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