Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Tight Ends for Fantasy Football Week 15

Michael Fabiano | Dec 13, 2024

Tucker Kraft (left) is a start this week while Kyle Pitts (right) is a sit. / Tucker Kraft: Cooper Neill/Getty Images Kyle Pitts: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It’s the fantasy postseason, folks! Time to set those fantasy lineups and take home a championship! 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 either exceed or fail to meet expectations based on their weekly opponent.

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!

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Fabs’ Top 10 Tight Ends

1. Brock Bowers vs. Falcons (Mon.)
2. Trey McBride vs. Patriots
3. Travis Kelce at Browns
4. George Kittle vs. Rams (Thurs.)
5. T.J. Hockenson vs. Bears (Mon.)
6. Jonnu Smith at Texans
7. Mark Andrews at Giants
8. Sam LaPorta vs. Bills
9. Tucker Kraft at Seahawks
10. Hunter Henry at Cardinals

Complete Week 15 tight end rankings

Week 15 Start ‘Em: Tight Snds

Packers tight end Tucker Kraft is the start of the week. / Wm. Glasheen -Imagn Images

Start of the Week

Tucker Kraft at Seahawks (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Kraft is on a nice hot streak, scoring at least 10.6 fantasy points in three straight games including two where he found the end zone. I’d keep him in startling lineups this week, as the second-year player faces Seattle in a good matchup. Their defense has allowed the 12th-most fantasy points per game to tight ends, and eight players at the position have beaten them for more than nine points.

Start ‘Em

Jonnu Smith at Texans (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Smith has been one of the best tight ends in fantasy football over the last four weeks, scoring 21-plus points three times with no less than 13.2 points in any of them. He faces the Texans this week, making him a top-10 tight end once again. Since Week 9, their defense has allowed 11-plus points to two players at the position, and they haven’t faced a truly “elite” tight end in their 13 contests in 2024.

Jake Ferguson at Panthers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Ferguson is well worth a look in the first week of the fantasy postseason, as he’s facing a plus matchup against the Panthers. No team in the league has allowed more fantasy points to tight ends on the season, and only one has given up more since Week 7. All told, Carolina has given up 10 or more points to the position nine times, including five who have hit that points total since Week 8.

Hunter Henry at Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Henry's matchup against the Cardinals isn't great on paper, but he's a start em nonetheless. That's because he's scored at least 9.5 fantasy points in all but one of his last eight games, including five with more than 12 points. He's been the first read of rookie quarterback Drake Maye more often than any other Patriots receiver too, as he's seen at least eight targets in three straight games.

TEs With Good Matchups

• Cade Otton at Chargers (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Zach Ertz at Saints (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Juwan Johnson vs. Commanders (1 p.m. ET, Fox)

Week 15 Sit ‘Em: Tight Ends

Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts is the sit of the week. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Sit of the Week

Kyle Pitts at Raiders (Mon. 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): Pitts has seen his numbers tumble in the last five weeks, scoring 2.4 or fewer points three times while averaging just 3.2 points. While he did play 58 snaps and saw six targets last week, he was still held to 2.4 points. Pitts does have a great matchup this week against the Raiders, but can you trust him to make good in the first week of the fantasy postseason? I can’t, so he’s a sit ‘em.

Sit ‘Em

Dalton Kincaid at Lions (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Kincaid was close to returning to action last week, and he’ll be hard to trust if he does return in Week 15. That’s due to a bad matchup against the Lions, who have allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends this season. What’s more, just two players at the position have beaten them for double digits, and no tight end has scored more than 13.1 points in a game against them this season.

Dalton Schultz vs. Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Schultz is coming off his best game of the season, posting 61 yards, one touchdown and 17.1 fantasy points. I wouldn’t chase the points though, as he had failed to score more than 9.6 in every other game this season. So, while the matchup against the Dolphins isn’t terrible on paper, I’d have a hard time playing Schultz in what if the first week of the fantasy football playoffs in most leagues.

Cole Kmet at Vikings (Mon. 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+): Kmet was held without a point in a loss to the 49ers, and he’s now been held to single digits in all but one of his last seven games. While he did beat this week’s opponent, the Bears, for 13.4 points back in Week 12, their defense has allowed the sixth-fewest points per game to the position since Week 7. And with his overall lack of production, it’s tough to trust Kmet in the postseason.

TEs With Bad Matchups

• Pat Freiermuth at Eagles (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Mike Gesicki at Titans (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Tommy Tremble vs. Cowboys (1 p.m. ET, Fox)