Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the weekly NFL matchups and how they'll affect your fantasy football team. Sleeper alert features an under-the-radar player who could produce good numbers. Owners beware features a regular fantasy starter who could fail to meet expectations based on the strength of his opponent. Obvious fantasy starters like Aaron Rodgers and Adrian Peterson will not be featured. For your final lineup decisions, check our lineup rankings.
Start of the week
Tony Gonzalez vs. Washington Redskins: Gonzalez is likely playing in one of the final three games of his illustrious NFL career, and this week's matchup against the Redskins bodes quite well for his chances to find success. Their defense has surrendered the seventh-most fantasy points (10.1 PPG) to opposing home tight ends this year. (Maximum value: Low TE1)
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Start 'em
Dennis Pitta at Detroit Lions (Mon.): Pitta came back from an injured hip last week and shined, scoring a touchdown and double-digit fantasy points in a win over the Minnesota Vikings. While this week's game against the Lions isn't favorable on paper, it's tough to not consider Pitta a viable No. 1 tight end in most fantasy leagues. (Maximum value: Mid TE1)
Greg Olsen vs. New York Jets: Olsen has seen his fantasy point totals decline in each of the last four weeks, but I'd still start him if you're in need at the tight end position. That's due in part to a good matchup against the Jets, who have surrendered the eighth-most fantasy points (9.3 PPG) to opposing tight ends overall this season. (Maximum value: Mid TE1)
Delanie Walker vs. Arizona Cardinals: Walker has been dealing with a concussion, so owners need to keep close tabs on his status for Week 15. If he's active, the veteran has a great matchup against Arizona. Their defensive unit has surrendered more fantasy points (14.5 PPG) to opposing tight ends than any other team in the entire NFL. (Maximum value: Mid TE1)
Sleeper alert - Charles Clay vs. New England Patriots: Clay is coming off a two-touchdown performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers and has scored eight or more fantasy points in three of his last four games, so he is clearly trending in the right direction. This weekend's AFC East matchup against the Patriots is favorable as well. (Maximum value: Low TE1)
Sit of the week
Jared Cook vs. New Orleans Saints: Cook was in the sit 'em portion of this column last week, and he put up a mediocre 4.9 fantasy points in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Next on the schedule ia a tough matchup against the Saints, who have given up the sixth-most fantasy points (6.5 PPG) to opposing tight ends on the road this year. (Maximum value: Mid TE2)
Sit 'em
Garrett Graham at Indianapolis Colts: Graham is a hot asset in fantasy land, as he's coming off a 13.3-point performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With that being said, this week's game in Indianapolis isn't favorable -- the Colts have surrendered the second-fewest fantasy points (3.1 PPG) to tight ends on their home field. (Maximum value: Low TE1)
Heath Miller vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Miller has been anything but consistent, and this week's matchup against the Bengals doesn't bode well for his chances to post a nice stat line. The veteran has one touchdown in seven career home games against Cincinnati, and has fewer than 60 yards in each of his 15 career meetings against them. (Maximum value: High TE2)
Timothy Wright vs. San Francisco 49ers: How's this for an odd trend -- Wright has scored no more than 1.7 fantasy points in each of his last two games played in odd-numbered weeks. He also has a tough upcoming matchup against the Niners, who have allowed the fewest fantasy points (4.7 PPG) to opposing tight ends on the road this season. (Maximum value: High TE2)
Owners beware - Martellus Bennett at Cleveland Browns: This has less to do with the matchup and more to do with Bennett's recent lack of production. Since scoring 19.6 fantasy points in Week 2, he's recorded nine or more points just twice including seven games with fewer than five points. That makes Bennett too much of a risk in the playoffs. (Maximum value: Low TE1)
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
