NFL Fantasy 2022 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 10: Tight ends

Yeah, Pitts failed to reach five fantasy points in Week 9, but go look at the tight end scoring from last week. It was gross. We know that Pitts has a low floor in this version of the Falcons offense, but he has a higher ceiling than most tight ends. Pitts has four games with seven or more targets -- two of them have come in the last two weeks. In Week 9, Pitts had a 30% target share and saw 39% of the team's air yards. His 197 air yards in Week 9 were the most a tight end has seen in any game this season. I was hard on Arthur Smith earlier this season for not throwing the ball to Pitts. It didn’t lead to a bunch of production last week, but consistent volume is all we want for Pitts. If he sees that, more often than not his talent will win out. Especially in a matchup like this week against the Panthers. Not only have they allowed 10.8 fantasy PPG to tight ends, which ranks middle of the pack, but Pitts’ best game of the season came against them. That was in Week 8 when he saw a season-high nine targets, catching five of them for 80 yards and a touchdown. He scored a season-high 19 fantasy points in that one. It's worth taking the upside swing and getting Pitts in your starting lineup this week. 

If Noah Fant has taught us anything, it's that you start tight ends against the Cardinals. Fant was a start last week against Arizona and scored a season-high 14.6 fantasy points. The Cardinals are the best matchup a tight end can face. So even after Higbee scored no fantasy points and saw just one target, he is a start because of the matchup. On the year, the Cardinals have allowed the most production to tight ends. Not only do they allow the most fantasy PPG to the position (21.3), but they have also allowed the most targets, catches, yards and touchdowns to the position. There is simply no better matchup for a tight end, so before you drop him, give him one more chance. And if someone else dropped him, pick him up and stream him. Plus, it’s not like Higbee hasn’t been reliable for much of this season. He is a start in this fantastic matchup. 

The big winner of Justin Fields breaking out seems to be Kmet. In Week 8, he caught his first touchdown since 2020 and then he responded a week later by catching two touchdowns. He also saw a season-high six targets last week and finished with 22 fantasy points. The floor isn’t the safest, but with increasing volume on an ascending offense and given the fact that he plays tight end, that’s enough to take a shot on him. Add in that he faces the Lions, who have allowed 15.7 fantasy PPG to tight ends, the fourth-most in the NFL. His recent performances paired with the matchup make it worth getting Kmet in your lineup this week, especially if you have been streaming tight ends. 

Otton has been earning Tom Brady’s trust. That is probably never truer than in Week 9, when Otton caught the game-winning touchdown on fourth down with nine seconds left in the game in what Brady called a must-win game. Oh, and he was the Bucs' leading receiver with 68 yards on five catches (six targets). He finished with 17.8 fantasy points, enough to make him a top-five tight end in Week 9. Otton has been a bit up and down, but he has topped double-digit fantasy points in three of his last five games. Plus, he has a great matchup this week against the Seahawks, who have allowed the second-most fantasy PPG to tight ends this season (20.2) and in the past month (20.9). They are a team you can stream tight ends against, putting Otton in play this week. 

Knox caught three passes for 25 yards in Week 9. He scored just 5.5 fantasy points. After scoring a touchdown in the prior two games, it started to look like Knox was potentially turning the corner. But this is who he is at this point. He has just one game all year with more than five targets, so the floor is low. He has only broken double-digits once, so the ceiling isn’t very high either. Knox is a TD-dependent tight end and if he doesn’t reach pay dirt, you’re looking at something like five to seven fantasy points. I would look for a better option. 

Gesicki brings a super-low floor every week. Last week, he had just one catch for 3 yards; it was his third time this season scoring fewer than two fantasy points. He has fewer than six fantasy points in six of nine games this season. This week he faces the Browns, who have allowed 8.6 fantasy PPG to tight ends, the eighth-fewest in the NFL. They’ve allowed just one touchdown to the position all season. Given the matchup and the non-existent floor, go with a different option this week. 

Johnson had one of the crazier touchdowns you will see this season on Monday Night Football. He toe-tapped the sideline and the defense thought he was out of bounds, but there was a sliver of green between the sideline and his cleat, and he ran down the sideline for a 41-yard score. The issue though is he had just two targets all night, and besides that play, he had one catch for 1 yard. It was a fun play that surely won some people their matchup, but it certainly is not reliable moving forward. The two targets are concerning as it shows he brings a very low floor. That is especially concerning given the matchup against Pittsburgh this week. The Steelers have been pretty tough on tight ends this season, coming in the bottom 10 in fantasy PPG allowed to the position (9.96). That includes allowing just one touchdown to a tight end all year. I would get away from Johnson this week. 

Tonyan has been up and down this season. He has only broken double-digits twice this season. Tonyan has now scored single-digit fantasy points in three straight games. He also has fewer than five targets in four of his last six games. He brings a low floor and, outside of one random game, a low ceiling, as well. We also saw his snaps dip to 46% last week, his fewest in a game since Week 5. And of top of that, he has a tough matchup this week against Dallas. The Cowboys have limited tight ends to 9.99 fantasy PPG like they are a retail sale or something. That is just outside the bottom 10 in the NFL. They’ve only allowed a tight end to score a touchdown once all season.