Start ’Em, Sit ’Em Tight Ends Fantasy Football Week 2: Prime Time Spotlight for David Njoku
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.
Fabs’ Top 10 Tight Ends
1. Travis Kelce at Jaguars
2. Mark Andrews at Bengals
3. T.J. Hockenson at Eagles (Thur.)
4. Darren Waller at Cardinals
5. Dallas Goedert vs. Vikings (Thur.)
6. George Kittle at Rams
7. Evan Engram vs. Chiefs
8. David Njoku at Ravens
9. Hunter Henry vs. Dolphins
10. Pat Freiermuth vs. Browns (Mon.)
Week 2 Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | KICKERS & TEAM DEFENSES
Week 2 Start ’Em: Tight Ends
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Start of the Week
David Njoku at Steelers (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ABC): Njoku scored just 4.4 points in the Browns’ opener, but he should rebound in a Monday night matchup against the Steelers. He’s had good success against them in recent seasons, scoring at least 12.8 points in each of their last three meetings. Njoku, who also found the end zone in all three contests, should be a low-end No. 1 option this week.
Start ’Em
Sam LaPorta vs. Seahawks (1 p.m. ET, Fox): LaPorta had a nice start to his NFL career, playing 58 snaps while running 26 routes and being targeted five times for five catches against the Chiefs. He’ll be a nice option for fantasy managers looking for a tight end this week, as LaPorta faces a Seattle defense that has allowed eight touchdowns and the second-most points to tight ends since last year.
Zach Ertz vs. Giants (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Believe it or not, but Ertz was the most targeted tight end last weekend. He became a safety net of sorts for Joshua Dobbs, and that role is likely to continue when the Cardinals host New York. He has owned the Giants in his career, averaging a whopping 17.8 points in his last nine games against them. Ertz could be on the waiver wire in leagues.
Luke Musgrave at Falcons (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Musgrave is a nice sleeper for this week, as the rookie played 45 snaps and ran 24 routes in the opener. He scored eight points, but it could have been more had Jordan Love not overthrown him on a potentially big gainer. Regardless, he’s worth a look against a Falcons defense that has surrendered the fourth-most points to tight ends since last season.
More Starts
Hunter Henry vs. Dolphins (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
Pat Freiermuth vs. Browns (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ABC)
Jake Ferguson vs. Jets (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS)
DFS Bargains (DraftKings)
Zach Ertz vs. Giants ($3,500)
Jake Ferguson vs. Jets ($3,300)
Luke Musgrave at Falcons ($3,200)
Week 2 Sit ’Em: Tight Ends
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Sit of the Week
Kyle Pitts vs. Packers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Pitts was last week’s featured sit, and he led the Falcons in receiving … with 44 yards on two catches. The Falcons are a run-heavy offense, which was evident in Desmond Ridder’s 18 pass attempts for just 115 yards. The Packers have allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to tight ends since last season, so Pitts remains a risk for fantasy fans.
Sit ’Em
Tyler Higbee vs. 49ers (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Higbee burned a lot of fantasy fans last week, scoring a modest 7.9 points in a win over the Seahawks. Next up is a much tougher matchup, as the Rams host a 49ers team that has allowed just five touchdowns to tight ends in their last 18 games. What’s more, Higbee has scored fewer than nine points in all but four of 14 career games against them.
Dalton Schultz vs. Colts (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Schultz played 62 snaps in his Texans debut, and no tight end ran more routes on the week per PFF. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he saw just four targets, which made up 9.3% of C.J. Stroud’s attempts. The rookie will make Schultz’s projections a bit volatile, and the Colts have allowed just 4.3 catches per game to tight ends since 2022.
Hayden Hurst vs. Saints (Mon. 7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN): Hurst was one of the best tight ends in the league last week, at least based on fantasy points, and he will no doubt be added in a lot of leagues. I’d be wary of chasing the points, though, as he’ll face a tough Saints defense that’s allowed the fewest points to tight ends since last season. That includes surrendering just two touchdown catches.
More Sits
Irv Smith Jr. vs. Ravens (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
Tyler Conklin at Cowboys (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS)
Chigoziem Okonkwo vs. Chargers (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
DFS Fades (DraftKings)
Tyler Higbee vs. 49ers ($4,600)
Kyle Pitts vs. Packers ($4,200)
Dalton Schultz vs. Colts ($4,000)
