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- Wide receivers
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You have lineup questions, we have lineup answers — at least we hope so. Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is here to help fantasy managers make difficult roster decisions. And you know what is a good move? Starting Christian McCaffrey. But that’s too obvious, so you won’t see such simple analysis here. Instead, we’re exploring more debatable situations. And if you can’t find a player you are looking for, please check out the latest NFL Fantasy lineup rankings.
Start ‘Em
I will take the L for last week, when I had Engram as a sit. The Browns had been extremely stingy to tight ends all year, but apparently it did not matter. After going nearly a calendar year without a touchdown, Engram has three in his last two games. He saw a season-high 12 targets on Sunday and is a near lock for seven-plus every week. He brings a safe floor and lately is showing far more upside. The Ravens are a tough matchup for tight ends again, but there is no way you can get away from Engram now.
You know who’s very stingy to tight ends? The 49ers. Is it enough to scare me off McBride? Hard no. He has averaged 16.2 fantasy PPG since taking over as Arizona’s lead tight end. That number jumps to 18.4 if you throw away the justifiably ignored Clayton Tune game. With Kyler Murray, McBride has scored more than nine points in every game and twice topped 21. That’s elite, top-five tight end production. Would you sit Travis Kelce or T.J. Hockenson in a tough matchup? You would not. That’s how you should treat McBride right now.
We have seen two games of Likely without Mark Andrews this season. In the first one, he had six targets and scored eight fantasy points. In the second, he had seven targets and went for 83 yards, a touchdown and 19.3 fantasy points. Looks like a floor and a ceiling to me. Most weeks will be somewhere in between eight and 19 fantasy points, as Likely has looked the part and is clearly going to be a big component of this Ravens passing attack. He may not be Andrews, but he’s the next-best thing in Baltimore. In what could be a high-scoring game against a team in the top eight in yards and touchdowns allowed to tight ends since Week 10, Likely should be started in the fantasy playoffs.
While Njoku’s had mixed results in the two games with Joe Flacco, he has been the veteran quarterback’s No. 2 target in both. He exploded for a season-high 27 fantasy points last week and has now reached double figures in seven of his last eight games. That’s a very safe floor for a tight end — and there is clearly a lot of upside here, too. Njoku might have the occasional down game, but which tight end doesn’t? He is looking like a must-start option moving forward.
IF YOU NEED A STREAMER …
If you are looking for a plug-and-play option off the waiver wire, Logan Thomas is a name for you. Thomas disappointed in the two games before Washington’s bye, but prior to that, he was a near lock for five-plus targets each game. Now he gets the Rams, who are in the top three in yards, touchdowns and fantasy PPG allowed to tight ends. They just yielded a big day to Isaiah Likely. Plus, this game should feature a lot of points. If you miss out on Thomas, Green Bay’s Tucker Kraft is a deep option with a favorable matchup.
Sit ‘Em
Evan Engram might have overcome the tough matchup against the Browns, but he and Mark Andrews are the only two to do so this season. Will Kmet make it three? Perhaps, as he is very talented. But if you have another tight end on the roster — like Likely — I’d easily opt to avoid this matchup. Even after what Engram did, the Browns have allowed 100 fewer yards to the position than any team in the league. They have given up the third-fewest fantasy PPG to the position on the season. You may not have a choice, but if you can get away, you should.
Remember that career game from Freiermuth a few weeks ago? Yeah, it’s looking like a complete outlier. He has fewer than seven fantasy points in the other three games since returning from injury. He has topped double digits just twice this season. On the year, the Colts look like a favorable matchup, but they have been much stingier as of late. Plus, there probably won’t be many scoring chances for the Steelers and this is a matchup that favors the run over the pass for them. There’s simply not enough upside to trust the Muth in the fantasy playoffs.
Brian Flores is not getting enough credit for the job he has done with the Vikings’ defense. The unit has played very well of late, especially against tight ends. Since Week 10, the Vikes have yielded just 97 yards to the position, the fewest in the NFL. They also have not allowed a touchdown to a tight end in that span. Hudson has played well for the Bengals and certainly worked his way into the streaming tight end conversation, but he still has just seven targets over the last two games. I would stream elsewhere this week.
Don’t go chasing waterfalls … or tight end touchdowns from last week. Henry scored two on Thursday Night Football, but he only had three targets. He has single-digit points in every game without a touchdown and fewer than six in all but one of those. The Chiefs have given up just three touchdowns to tight ends and rank among the top six stingiest defenses when it comes to yards allowed to the position, both on the season and since Week 10.
