NFL Fantasy 2022 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 13: Tight ends

It’s been an up and down year for Kittle. A week after taking advantage of the best possible TE matchup and torching the Cardinals, Kittle finished with just 5.6 fantasy points against the Saints. The saving grace is the Saints are the exact opposite of the Cardinals, as they have allowed the fewest production to tight ends this season. Kittle has fewer than six fantasy points in two of his last three, but he also has more than 12 in four of his last six. Like I said, up and down. But this week he gets the Dolphins, who have allowed the third-most fantasy PPG to tight ends (15.4). Plus, what are you going to do, sit Kittle? Nope -- not this week! Start him with confidence.

Schultz scored two touchdowns on Thanksgiving, finishing with more than19 fantasy points. It was enough to make him the TE1 on the week. Schultz has played six games with Dak Prescott this season and is averaging 13 fantasy PPG in them. He has scored 9.9 or more fantasy points in all but one of those. That shows that he brings a safe floor -- if such thing can exist for a tight end. He brings a high ceiling as well, topping 17 fantasy points twice in the past three weeks. There just are not many tight ends who bring that combo of floor and ceiling on a weekly basis. Ride with Schultz this week and throughout the rest of the season as long as Prescott is the QB.

Freiermuth disappointed in Week 12, scoring fewer than seven fantasy points against the Colts, however, I would not shy away from him just yet. Over the past three weeks he does lead the Steelers with a 25 percent target share, and his 28 percent air yard share is second on the team. It's also a very strong number for a tight end. Plus, he gets a better matchup this week against Atlanta. The Falcons have allowed an average of 13 fantasy PPG to tight ends, which ranks just inside the top 10. They have also just allowed a ton of production across the board this season. This has the potential to be one of the Steelers best offensive games of the season. Leave Freiermuth in your lineup.  

Everett has hit a bit of a rough patch after being a reliable option early on. In Week 12, he finished with 7.8 fantasy points, catching all four targets for 18 yards, as well as a two-point conversion. It was a bit disappointing given the fact that it was against the Cardinals, but he gets another favorable matchup this week against the Raiders, who have issued a ton of production to opposing offenses this season. The Raiders have allowed 13.9 fantasy PPG to tight ends, which is the sixth-most in the NFL. The matchup, paired with the fact that his QB is getting hot at the right time, is enough to keep Everett in play as a streaming option this week.

Otton played 53 percent of the snaps, which led the way for Bucs tight ends, but was split pretty evenly with Cameron Brate, who also played 50 percent. It was Brate, however, who saw the pass game volume, finishing with five targets, while Otton had none. Otton ran just 18 routes compared to Brate’s 26. That sort of usage alone is enough to get away from Otton, who had been blossoming into a bit of a fantasy darling. Add in that Tom Brady has really struggled against the Saints in his career and that New Orleans has shut down the position -- allowing just 7.7 fantasy PPG to tight ends, the fewest in the NFL. Otton can hit the bench, if not the waiver wire, this week.

Hooper caught two touchdowns in Week 11 and followed it up with his usual day of six fantasy points in Week 12. Hooper is routinely held under 50 receiving yards, having topped that number just once. When he doesn’t catch a touchdown he finishes with single digit fantasy points -- as he has done so in all but that one game two weeks ago. That game is looking more and more like a fluke, especially since the Titans have multiple tight ends they can mix in. I continue to think they should get Chigoziem Okonkwo more involved as that dude is just a playmaker. Given all that, and the matchup this week against the Eagles, who have allowed the eighth-fewest fantasy PPG to tight ends (9.7), it’s a week to stay far away from Hooper.  

Gesicki is coming off of a donut against the Texans. He did not catch his only target of the game, and he now has scored fewer than six fantasy points in three straight games (eight times this season). The Dolphins are also playing this fun game in which you have to guess who the random tight end to catch a touchdown will be that week. Unfortunately for Gesicki, he has only won that game three weeks all season. The floor is nonexistent, and it's far too unpredictable to try to guess when one of those nice games will come. Do not bank on it this week as he gets the 49ers, who have been extremely tough against opposing tight ends. On the season they have allowed just 8.4 fantasy PPG to the position, the third-fewest in the NFL.  

Tonyan finished with just five fantasy points last week against the Eagles. It was his sixth straight game with fewer than nine fantasy points, and his fourth consecutive with under six. Tonyan had that one random blowup game earlier in the season, but that feels like ages ago. Now he has Aaron Rodgers dealing with a rib injury, though he plans to play. Plus, the Bears have been stingy to tight ends allowing just 8.6 fantasy PPG to the position, the fourth-fewest in the NFL.