Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Tight Ends in Week 13 of Fantasy Football

Dear friends, it’s already week 13! Time to set up those fantastic lineups! Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is a best and worst look at the week’s best and worst matchups in fantasy football leagues. Each week I will be checking out players who could exceed or fall short of expectations based on their weekly opponent… like Jonnu Smith and Dalton Schultz in Week 12!

To make your final lineup decision, check out my fantasy player rankings. I update them every day! Make sure too subscribe to the Fantasy Dirt Podcast with Lindsay Rhodes and me as we cover all things fantasy football five days a week!

All positions: QB | RB | WR | TE | K and summer time

Hi: Thread

1. Travis Kelce vs. Raiders (Friday)
2. Brock Bowers for Chiefs (Friday)
3. George Kittle on the Bills
4. Trey McBride on the Vikings
5. TJ Hockenson vs. Cardinals
6. Cade Otto on the Panthers
7. Jonnu Smith at Packers (Thursday)
8. Evan Engram vs. Texans
9. David Njoku vs. Broncos (Monday)
10. Mark Andrews vs. Eagles

Complete Week 13 tight end rankings (coming soon)

The beginning of the week

Cade Otton on Panthers (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Otton is coming off one of his worst games of the season, scoring just four points on three goals in the win over the Giants. I wouldn’t sit him on this performance though, as he’ll next face a Panthers defense that has allowed him the third-most fantasy points per game over the last four weeks. That includes allowing Noah Gray to score two touchdowns last week against the Chiefs.

Run them

Jonnu Smith on Packers (Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Smith, who has been in the starting lineup the past two weeks, has scored three touchdowns and 51.8 total fantasy points. He has become an almost mandatory starting option at the thin tight end position, and the matchup in Green Bay is favorable. Even though weather conditions are forecast to be downright freezing, their pass defense has allowed the 11th-most fantasy points per game against opposing tight ends.

Dallas Goedert on Ravens (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Goedert was a disappointment last week, scoring just 5.9 points despite DeVonta Smith being sidelined. Still, I would keep him in the starting lineup when the Eagles face the Ravens in a big matchup. Their defense allowed 9.7 or more points in seven tight ends, with four scoring more than 16 points. Overall, Baltimore allowed the 10th most points per game in difficult situations.

Hunter Henry vs. Colts (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Last week, Henry was overshadowed by teammate Austin Hooper, but he still scored a respectable 9.4 fantasy points in the loss to Miami. He has now scored over nine points in all but one of his last seven games, during which he has averaged 10.9 fantasy points. I’d put Henry against the Colts, who have allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game against opponents this season.

TE with good matchups

Sit of the week

Kyle Pitts vs. Chargers (1 p.m. ET, CBS): His numbers have dropped over the past three weeks, scoring 2.1 or fewer points twice while averaging just 4.5 points. He also saw just 10 targets during that time. The next game was a tough matchup with the Chargers, who scored one touchdown and averaged just 11.3 points per game in a tight end. Moreover, in 2024, only four tight ends beat Los Angeles by double digits.

Sit down

Dalton Kincaid vs. 49ers (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Kincaid is expected to return this week after missing the game before the bye with a knee injury. If he comes back, I would keep him on the sidelines against the 49ers. Their defense allowed just four tight ends to score in double figures, and none of them scored more than 12.3 points. Considering he’s averaging just 8.2 points, Kincaid isn’t someone fantasy fans can trust no matter what.

Dalton Schultz on the Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Schultz has a favorable matchup this week as he faces a Jaguars defense that has allowed him the seventh-most points per game among tight ends. Unfortunately, he was unable to capitalize on good matchups throughout the season. In fact, he averaged just six points per game and scored a meager 6.4 points against the Jaguars in week four. Unless you’re desperate, Schultz should be on the sidelines.

Cole Kmet on Lions (Thursday, 12:30 p.m. ET, CBS): Kmet is having his best game since Week 6, catching seven passes for 64 yards and 13.4 points. However, he has scored in single digits in all but one of his previous seven games, and the matchup against the Lions on Thanksgiving is not attractive. Their defense allowed only one tight end to beat them by double figures, and that was AJ Barner, who finished with just 10.7 points.

TE with bad matchups