Start ’Em, Sit ’Em Tight Ends Fantasy Football Divisional Round: Sam LaPorta Stays Hot

The Lions rookie scored a touchdown in his playoff debut last week, and he should continue to produce.

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 Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey or Justin Jefferson. 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 2023 NFL season.

Divisional Round Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | KICKERS & TEAM DEFENSES

Divisional Round Start ’Em: Tight Ends

Start of the Week

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Sam LaPorta vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3 p.m. ET, NBC): Miraculously, LaPorta was able to play last week after injuring his knee the previous week. The talented rookie found the end zone, too, making it three straight games where he has scored double-digit points. Barring setbacks, he’ll remain a solid option against a Buccaneers defense that surrendered the third-most points to tight ends in 2023.

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Start ’Em

Isaiah Likely vs. Houston Texans (Sat. 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): Likely has been solid over the last month, scoring 11-plus points in four of his last five games. The Ravens are without Mark Andrews again, so Likely will be a solid option against the Texans. Their defense, which allowed a nice stat line to David Njoku last weekend, surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends in the regular season.

DFS Bargains (DraftKings)

Dalton Kincaid vs. Kansas City Chiefs ($4,800)
Isaiah Likely vs. Houston Texans ($4,700)

Divisional Round Sit ’Em: Tight Ends

Sit of the Week

Dalton Schultz at Baltimore Ravens (Sat. 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): Schultz scored a respectable 10.7 fantasy points in last week’s win over the Cleveland Browns, but he caught just one pass on two targets in the contest. He had also been held to single digits in his previous two games, and facing the Ravens isn’t favorable. Just one tight end has scored more than 11.8 points against them at home in 2023.

Sit ’Em

Luke Musgrave at San Francisco 49ers (Sat. 8:15 p.m. ET, Fox): Musgrave was a viable fantasy option earlier in the season, and he did post an attractive 14.2 points in last week’s win over the Dallas Cowboys. The rookie had been held under nine points in his previous three games, though, and a matchup against the 49ers is a tough one. No tight end has scored more than 11.3 points against them at home.

DFS Fades (DraftKings)

Dalton Schultz at Ravens ($4,400)
Luke Musgrave at 49ers ($3,600)

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