Tight End Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks For Fantasy Football Week 2

Michael Fabiano | Sep 13, 2024

Need help setting your fantasy football lineups? Start ‘Em, Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups in a given week for fantasy football leagues. I won’t cover the elite players like Sam LaPorta or Travis Kelce, because you already know to start them! Instead, I'll examine other tight ends who could exceed or fail to meet expectations based on their weekly opponent … like Kyle Pitts in Week 1!

For your final lineup decisions, be sure to also check out my fantasy player rankings which will be updated daily! Also, subscribe to Fantasy Dirt with Lindsay Rhodes and I, as we break down all things fantasy football five days a week!

And when you're done with the tight ends, make sure to check out my start 'em, sit 'em picks at each other position too: QBs | RBs | WRs | K & D/STs

Fabs’ Top 10 Tight ends

1. Sam LaPorta vs. Buccaneers
2. Travis Kelce vs. Bengals
3. Trey McBride vs. Rams
4. Kyle Pitts at Eagles (Mon.)
5. George Kittle at Vikings
6. Mark Andrews vs. Raiders
7. Dalton Kincaid at Dolphins (Thur.)
8. Isaiah Likely vs. Raiders
9. Evan Engram vs. Browns
10. Dallas Goedert vs. Falcons (Mon.)

Complete Week 2 tight end rankings can be found here.

Week 2 Start ‘Em: Tight ends

Start of the Week

Trey McBride vs. Rams (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Trey McBride was one of a long line of high-end tight ends who left fantasy managers high and dry in Week 1. With that being said, I am expecting him to rebound in a plus matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Since the start of last season, their defense has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. McBride also scored double digits in both games against Los Angeles last season.

Start ‘Em

Mark Andrews vs. Raiders (1 p.m. ET, CBS): It’s weird to list Mark Andrews in this space, as he’s almost always been an obvious start. But after he did next to nothing last week and lost targets to breakout star Isaiah Likely, managers are concerned about him. So, I’m here to give you some validation… Andrews should see an over correction in terms of targets (he had 2 last week), and I’d keep him in fantasy lineups against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Kyle Pitts at Eagles (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN): Kyle Pitts, listed in this space last week, had a touchdown and scored 11.6 fantasy points in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was also on the field for almost every offensive snap, which wasn’t always the case in previous seasons. I’d keep him in fantasy lineups against the Philadelphia Eagles, who have surrendered the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends among home defenses since last season.

Dallas Goedert vs. Falcons (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN): Dallas Goedert saw 5 targets and scored a ho-hum 7.1 fantasy points in last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers. Considering how bad the tight end position was as a while, that’s not terrible. I’d keep him active in an NFC matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, who have allowed the fifth-most receiving yards to enemy tight ends since last season. Consider Goedert a low-end starting option this week.

TEs With Good Matchups

• Dalton Schultz vs. Bears (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
• Pat Freiermuth at Broncos (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS)
• Colby Parkinson at Cardinals (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox)

Week 2 Sit ‘Em: Tight ends

Sit of the Week

Brock Bowers at Ravens (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Brock Bowers had a nice debut for the Raiders, as he played 41 snaps and was targeted eight times. That’s going to make him tough to bench at what is a thin tight end position, but the matchup against the Baltimore Ravens isn’t favorable. Their pass defense, which held Travis Kelce to just 6.4 points last week, has allowed an average of just 9.1 points per game to tight ends at home since the start of last year.

Sit ‘Em

Evan Engram vs. Browns (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Evan Engram was dreadful in his 2024 debut, as he scored just 1.5 points in a loss to the Miami Dolphins. More concerning, he played just 36 snaps which was fewer than the trio of Christian Kirk (38), Brian Thomas Jr. (42) and Gabe Davis (50). He also faces the Cleveland Browns, who have allowed the fewest points to tight ends since 2023. It’s a brutal position, making Engram tough to sit, but I’d temper expectations.

Juwan Johnson at Cowboys (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Juwan Johnson found the end zone in last week’s win over the Carolina Panthers, and he’s now scored double fantasy digits in four of his last five games dating back to last season. Still, he only played 23 snaps and was behind Foster Moreau in snaps and targets. Johnson also faces a Dallas Cowboys defense that’s allowed just 43.4 receiving yards per game and the sixth-fewest points to tight ends since 2023.

Zach Ertz vs. Giants (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Zach Ertz will be worth an add off the waiver wire at a thin tight end position, as he played 41 snaps and saw four targets in the opener. Still, this week’s opponent, the New York Giants, have actually been tough on tight ends. Since last season, their defense has allowed four touchdowns and the fifth-fewest points to the position. So unless you’re desperate, I’d keep Ertz on the sidelines in this NFC East battle.

TEs With Bad Matchups

• Luke Musgrave vs. Colts (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Cole Kmet at Texans (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Tyler Conklin at Titans (1 p.m. ET, CBS)

Now that you're all set at this position, make sure you know all the best start 'em, sit 'em picks at the other positions too:

• Quarterback
• Running back
• Wide receiver
• Kicker & defense