Start 'em and sit 'em tight ends for Week 12 from senior fantasy football expert Michael Fabiano.
Week 12 Start ‘Em: Tight Ends
Byes: None
Start of the Week
Hunter Henry at Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Henry has put up a touchdown and 13-plus fantasy points in two straight games, and he’s seen at least six targets in each of his last three. That bodes well for the veteran, who is in line for another nice game when the Chargers face the Bills. Buffalo’s defense has struggled against tight ends, allowing six touchdowns and the third-most fantasy points. In fact, four have scored 15-plus points, including three tight ends with more than 20 points.
Week 12 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em
- QUARTERBACKS
- RUNNING BACKS
- WIDE RECEIVERS
- TIGHT ENDS
- KICKERS
- TEAM DEFENSES
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Start ‘Em
Evan Engram at Bengals (1 p.m. ET, FOX): Engram has been tough to trust this season, but he has been more reliable lately with 10-plus points in three of his last four games. He's a virtual must-start this week as the Giants travel to the Queen City to face the Bengals. Their defense has been generous to enemy tight ends, allowing six touchdowns and nearly 15 fantasy points per game to the position. At what is a super-thin position, Engram has a shot at producing top-eight numbers.
T.J. Hockenson vs. Texans (Thurs. 12:30 p.m. ET, CBS): Hockenson continues to be a reliable option for fantasy fans, averaging nearly 12 fantasy points a game at what is a thin position. The Lions are also all banged up with Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola questionable to face the Texans on Thanksgiving Day, so the targets will continue to be plentiful. So while Houston has allowed just three tight ends to score more than 8.8 points, Hockenson remains a virtual must start.
Dalton Schultz vs. Football Team (Thurs. 4:30 p.m. ET): Schultz doesn't put up huge numbers, but he's been a big part of the Cowboys' passing game. In fact, Schultz has averaged seven targets over his last three games and has scored 11-plus points twice in that time. He has a nice matchup on Turkey Day, facing a Washington defense that's given up six touchdowns and an average of nearly 14 fantasy points per game to tight ends. Schultz could be on the waiver wire, too.
More Starts
- Austin Hooper at Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
- Eric Ebron vs. Ravens (Thurs. 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
- Mike Gesicki at Jets (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
DFS Bargains
- Evan Engram at Bengals (DraftKings: $4,500)
- Hayden Hurst vs. Raiders (DraftKings: $3,800)
- Austin Hooper at Jaguars (DraftKings: $3,800)
Week 12 Sit ‘Em: Tight Ends
Sit of the Week
Jared Cook at Broncos (4:05 p.m. ET): Cook was invisible in the stat sheets last week, catching just one pass on one target in a win over the Falcons. Cook has now seen a mere six targets in his last three games, and things aren’t likely to get better while Taysom Hill is under center for the Saints. In fact, Hill had near tunnel vision for Michael Thomas (52 percent target share) last week. The Broncos have been tough against tight ends too, so Cook needs to be relegated to the bench.
Sit ‘Em
Jimmy Graham at Packers (SNF 8:20 p.m. ET, ESPN): Graham has a "revenge" game this week, facing his former team, the Packers, at Lambeau Field. While the veteran has averaged nearly 10 fantasy points per game on the strength of his five touchdowns, Graham has been anything but reliable from a fantasy perspective. He's scored fewer than 8.5 points in four of his last five games. Green Bay has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends too, so I'd be fading Graham.
Trey Burton vs. Titans (1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): Burton put up a touchdown and 10.5 fantasy points in last week’s win over the Packers, but I wouldn’t chase the points when he faces the Titans. The last time he faced this AFC South opponent, he was held to three targets and 5.4 fantasy points. With the Colts now having their full complement of tight ends (Jack Doyle, Mo Alie-Cox) available, targets could be uneven on a week to week basis. Consider Burton a No. 2 tight end, at best.
Tyler Higbee vs. 49ers (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX): Higbee has become a committee tight end for all intents and purposes, as he's sharing snaps and targets with teammate Gerald Everett. The latter has seen more targets since Week 8, but neither has averaged more than 6.5 fantasy points in that time. No team in the league has allowed fewer fantasy points (7.9 PPG) to opposing tight ends than the Niners, so both Higbee and Everett are better off on the sidelines this weekend.
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More Sits
- Robert Tonyan vs. Bears (SNF 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
- Jordan Reed at Rams (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX)
- Chris Herndon IV vs. Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
DFS Fades
- Tyler Higbee vs. 49ers (DraftKings: $3,700)
- Jordan Reed at Rams (DraftKings: $3,600)
- Jared Cook at Broncos (DraftKings: $3,500)
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for all of the latest breaking fantasy football news and the best analysis in the business!
