Fantasy Football Week 7 Tight End Projections & Rankings: Sam LaPorta, Tyler Higbee are Must-Starts
The ensuing fantasy football projections highlight the good, the bad, and the ugly. George Kittle, Trey McBride, and Brock Bowers show why we drafted them so high. Kyle Pitts and Dallas Goedert say otherwise as boom-or-bust tight ends. Here is how that position intends to stack up in Week 7.
Top-12 Tight Ends
George Kittle has already scored five touchdowns this season. He also averages 5.3 receptions and 56 yards per game. He and Trey McBride are neck and neck, and in standard scoring formats, Kittle's touchdown upside trumps McBride's.
If you play on an elite offense, you're likely to rank highly in fantasy football. That goes for both Sam LaPorta and Travis Kelce. Each player accounts for around 22–23% of his team’s receiving output. LaPorta has 9 red zone targets over five games to date.
Hunter Henry also gets the boost in Week 7. He has a touchdown in back-to-back games. Over the season, Henry's catch rate is 85%, and with injuries to Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins, his projected usage gets a boost. Nonetheless, the tight end position is volatile and often more touchdown-reliant, so don't be surprised if Henry falls outside the top-15.
High-Upside Tight Ends
Tucker Kraft hasn't lived up to the hype this season, but we wish for better things in Week 7. The Lions rank 32nd in Fantasy Points Allowed to Tight Ends, giving up 5.7 more points per game than anyone else.
With the tight end position so volatile, we must find a niche. That comes from the red zone. It's where Colston Loveland thrives. Over six games, Loveland has nine red zone targets. This season, his catch rate is 66%, and with 1.5 red zone targets per game, Loveland is likely to find the end zone. Loveland has a strong chance to score this Thursday.
Fade These Tight Ends
Kyle Pitts may have broken out in Week 6, but we know how this story goes. He has been the most unpredictable tight end in fantasy football for years. One week Pitts scores two touchdowns, and the next, he gets one reception. This week, his floor is likely to hit, as he faces the 49ers' No. 1-ranked defense against tight ends.
Michael Mayer has 9 targets in two of his last three games. In the one game he didn't reach that mark, he had one reception. That happened against a Patriots defense ranked 7th in Fantasy Points Allowed to Tight Ends. This week's opponent, the LA Rams, rank 2nd in that same statistic.
Sleeper of the Week
Tyler Higbee has at least four targets in each of his last four games. That includes two games of 10 targets and an 81% catch rate. He logically gets a little more usage now that Davante Adams is inactive. The Raiders rank 27th in Fantasy Points Allowed to Tight Ends. That's why Higbee has a TE10 projection.
Week 7 Projected Leaders
- Targets: Trey McBride (9.8)
- Receptions: Trey McBride (7.1)
- Yards: Trey McBride (68.7)
- Anytime Touchdown: George Kittle (46.4%)
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.