Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is the ultimate weekly look at NFL matchups and how they'll affect your fantasy football team. Fantasy superstars such as Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey will not be featured in this column. All player matchups are based on a PPR scoring system. For your final starting lineup decisions, check my weekly fantasy football lineup rankings.
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
Doyle posted a stinker against the Buccaneers, but he did see six targets and played 78 percent of the offensive snaps. Better things should come for the veteran, who next faces a Saints defense that has struggled against tight ends recently. In fact, they've allowed 6.5 catches and the seventh-most points to the position since Week 11.
Higbee has been a fantasy dynamo in the last two weeks, scoring a combined 223 yards and 42.3 fantasy points in the absence of Gerald Everett. If Everett is unable to play again, Higbee will be a top-10 option when the Rams face the Cowboys. They've given up an average of more than five catches and 13 points a game to tight ends.
Goedert continues to produce good totals for fantasy fans, scoring 12-plus points in two of his last four games. He's a low-end No. 1 tight end against the Redskins, who have surrendered the third-most fantasy points to the position over the last four weeks. Goedert will also see a good number of targets due to injuries to Eagles wideouts.
Thomas saw 10 targets and posted 16.7 fantasy points last week, and an upcoming matchup against the Seahawks makes him a nice streamer. Assuming Greg Olsen (concussion) is out, Thomas should make some noise against a Seahawks defense that has allowed 6.5 catches, 70.6 yards and the second-most points a game to tight ends.
Start 'Em:Austin Hooper at San Francisco 49ers, Noah Fant at Kansas City Chiefs
Sleepers:Mike Gesicki at New York Giants, O.J. Howard at Detroit Lions
Sit 'Em
Sit of the Week
Rudolph has been a solid fantasy option for owners for more than a month, but this weekend's matchup in Los Angeles is a tough one. The Chargers have been very formidable against tight ends, surrendering an average of just 3.7 catches and the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to the position. If you start Rudolph, I'd temper expectations.
Hollister has struggled for fantasy fans in recent weeks, averaging just 33.3 receiving yards and 7.3 fantasy points in his last three contests. He'll be hard to trust this week as well, as the Seahawks face a Carolina defense that has allowed three touchdowns and the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.
Graham is coming off his best statistical performance since Week 10 ... and he still scored fewer than eight fantasy points. So while he does have a decent matchup on paper against the Bears, Graham's lack of consistent targets and production in an offense that figures to run the ball a ton makes Graham a fade for me in fantasy land.
Eifert is coming off a respectable, 8.9-point performance in a loss to the Browns. However, he should remain a fade in fantasy leagues as the Patriots come to Cincinnati for a Week 15 matchup. New England has allowed just four touchdowns and an average of 10.4 fantasy points a game against tight ends, which ranks as the eighth-fewest.
Sit 'Em:Jason Witten vs. Los Angeles Rams, Dawson Knox at Pittsburgh Steelers
Busts:Darren Fells at Tennessee Titans, Jonnu Smith vs. Houston Texans
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. You can follow Michael on **Twitter**, **Facebook**, **YouTube** and **Instagram** for all of the latest fantasy football news, notes and in-depth analysis!
