Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Tight Ends Fantasy Football Wild Card: Cooking With George Kittle

The 49ers tight end has been Brock Purdy’s favorite target and that should continue in the postseason.

Start ‘Em, Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups based on a PPR scoring system in fantasy football. This column will not cover the elite players in the NFL like Josh Allen, Austin Ekeler or Tyreek Hill. Instead, I'll look at the players you have questions about who could exceed or fail to meet expectations at each position. For all of your final fantasy lineup decisions, be sure to check out my weekly player rankings which will be updated daily throughout the 2022 NFL season.

Wild Card Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | KICKERS & TEAM DEFENSES

Wild Card Round Start ‘Em: Tight Ends

George Kittle vs. Seahawks (Sat. 4:30 p.m. ET, Fox): Kittle was unreliable at best earlier in the season, scoring single digits in seven of his first 11 games. Then Brock Purdy took over at quarterback, and Kittle has been on fire. Over his last four games, he’s scored seven touchdowns and 86.5 points. The Seahawks have allowed the second-most points to tight ends, so Kittle’s success should continue.

SI Sportsbook Player Prop: Kittle over 44.5 receiving yards (-125)

Dawson Knox vs. Dolphins (Sun. 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Knox has been a touchdown machine, scoring at least one in four straight games. That includes a Week 15 game against the Dolphins that saw him find the end zone and score a season-high 21.8 points. Miami has allowed 10 touchdowns and the third-most points to tight ends, so Knox is a solid option in both traditional and DFS fantasy formats.

More Starts
• Dalton Schultz at Buccaneers (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)

DFS Bargains
• Dawson Knox vs. Dolphins ($4,000)

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Wild Card Round Sit ‘Em: Tight Ends

Noah Fant at 49ers (Sat. 4:30 p.m. ET, Fox): Tight end is a thin position already, and it’s even worse with just 12 teams playing this week. With that being said, I’d fade Fant in a tough matchup against the Niners. He did beat them for 14.2 points in Week 15, but Fant was also held to just 3.1 points in a game in San Francisco back in Week 2. Their defense has also allowed just four touchdowns to tight ends.

Hayden Hurst vs. Ravens (Sun. 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC): Hurst does have a revenge game this week against his former team, the Ravens, but he’s still a tough play. While he did beat them for 17.3 points in Week 5, Baltimore held him to a mere 5.4 points last week. Their pass defense has allowed just one touchdown catch and the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends in the last five weeks as well.

SI Sportsbook Player Prop: Hurst under 31.5 receiving yards (-118)

More Sits
• Mike Gesicki at Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS)

DFS Fades
• Mike Gesicki at Bills ($3,200)

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Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business to help you win a fantasy championship!