Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Tight Ends For Fantasy Football Week 12

Michael Fabiano | Nov 22, 2024

Dallas Goedert (left) is a start this week while Tucker Kraft (right) is a sit. / Dallas Goedert: Cooper Neill/Getty ImagesTucker Kraft: Cooper Neill/Getty Images

It’s Week 12, folks! Time to set those fantasy lineups! Start ‘Em, Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups in a given week for fantasy football leagues. Each week, I'll examine the tight ends who could exceed or fail to meet expectations based on their weekly opponent … like Will Dissly and Cole Kmet in Week 11!

For your final lineup decisions, check out my fantasy player rankings. I update them daily! Also, make sure you subscribe to the Fantasy Dirt Podcast with Lindsay Rhodes and me as we break down all things fantasy football five days a week!

All Positions: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | K & DSTs

Byes: Bengals, Bills, Falcons, Jaguars, Jets, Saints

Fabs’ Top 10 Tight Ends

1. Travis Kelce at Panthers
2. Brock Bowers vs. Broncos
3. George Kittle at Packers
4. Cade Otton at Giants
5. Trey McBride at Seahawks
6. David Njoku vs. Steelers (Thurs.)
7. T.J. Hockenson at Bears
8. Dallas Goedert at Rams
9. Jonnu Smith vs. Patriots
10. Will Dissly vs. Ravens (Mon.)

Complete Week 12 tight end rankings

Week 12 Start ‘Em: Tight Ends

Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton is the start of the week. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Start of the Week

Cade Otton at Giants (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Otton has one of the worst matchups on paper among tight ends, as the Giants have allowed the second-fewest points to the position. But when you look at the tight ends they’ve faced, that stat becomes very deceptive. As a result, Otton remains a must-start. He’s seen 39 combined targets in his last four games, scoring 18 or more points in three of those contests. Otton is a top-10 option this week.

Start ‘Em

Will Dissly vs. Ravens (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN): Dissly was a hot waiver-wire add after his big stat line against the Bengals, and I like him this week too when the Bolts host the Ravens. Their defense has allowed the 10th-most points per game to tight ends on the season, as six have beaten them for 10-plus points. Dissly is also seeing plenty of targets in the Chargers offense, getting at least six in four of his last five games overall.

Dallas Goedert at Rams (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Goedert has been solid since his return to action, scoring a combined 21.6 points in his last two games. He’s in a good spot this week too, as he faces a Rams defense that’s allowed five tight ends to beat them for at least 11 points. That includes four players who have hit that mark since Week 5. In a game that opened with a total of 48 on DK Sportsbook, Goedert should be a solid starter.

Jonnu Smith vs. Patriots (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Smith, listed as a start ‘em, went off for two touchdowns and 28.1 fantasy points in a win over the Raiders. He’s now seen six or more targets in five of his last six games, during which time he’s averaging 14.2 points. With six teams on a bye, Smith is well worth a look against a Patriots defense that has given up double digits to five opposing tight ends this season, including Smith, back in Week 5.

TEs With Good Matchups

• T.J. Hockenson at Bears (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Hunter Henry at Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
• Ja’Tavion Sanders vs. Chiefs (1 p.m. ET, CBS)

Week 12 Sit ‘Em: Tight Ends

Packers tight end Tucker Kraft is the sit of the week. / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Sit of the Week

Tucker Kraft vs. 49ers (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Kraft, listed as a sit ‘em last week, didn’t score a single point in a win over the Bears. He’s now seen three or fewer targets in two of his last three games, and he’s scored just 7.6 points in his last two. Next up is a difficult matchup against the 49ers, who haven’t allowed a tight end to beat them for more than 12.3 points this season. What’s more, only three have hit double digits against them.

Sit ‘Em

Zach Ertz vs. Cowboys (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Ertz, who is coming off a solid stat line, will be hard to sit with six teams on a bye. However, this week’s matchup against the Cowboys isn’t great on paper. Aside from George Kittle, who beat them for 24.8 points in Week 8, no tight end has scored more than 12.2 points against Dallas. Also, just two players at the position have had more than four catches in a game against the Cowboys this season.

Dalton Schultz vs. Titans (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Schultz hasn’t been much of a fantasy option this season, failing to score more than 9.6 points in any game while averaging a meager 6.2 points per game overall. I’d keep fading him against the Titans, who have allowed an average of just 38.8 yards per game and a mere two touchdowns to opposing tight ends this season. What’s more, only two have scored more than 8.2 points against them.

Cole Kmet vs. Vikings (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Kmet played a ton of snaps last week (69), but he still saw just three targets and scored a modest 7.2 points. He’s now been held to single digits in four straight games and six of his last seven, so Kmet has been anything but a nice fantasy asset. The Vikings have allowed just two touchdowns to tight ends this year, and Kmet is mostly touchdown-dependent to make a real fantasy impact.

TEs With Bad Matchups

• Colby Parkinson vs. Eagles (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
• Chigoziem Okonkwo at Texans (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
• AJ Barner vs. Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox)