Start ’em, ’em tight for Fantasy Football Week 11

It’s week 11, folks! Time to nail down those fantasy lineups! Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst games in a given week for fantasy football leagues. Each week I examine the tight ends who could exceed or fall short of expectations based on their weekly opponent…like Mark Andrews and Cole Kmet in Week 10!

For your final draft decisions, check out my fantasy player rankings. I update them daily! Also make sure you subscribe to the Fantasy Dirt Podcast with Lindsay Rhodes and me as we break down all things fantasy football five days a week!

All positions: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | K & DSTs

Goodbye: Buccaneers, cardinals, giants, panthers

1. Travis Kelce at Bills
2. George Kittle vs. Seahawks
3. Brock Bowers at Dolphins
4. David Njoku at Saints
5. Mark Andrews at Steelers
6. TJ Hockenson at Titans
7. Dalton Kincaid vs. Chiefs
8. Sam LaPorta vs. Jaguars
9. Evan Engram at Lions
10. Kyle Pitts at Broncos

Complete the Week 11 tight end rankings (coming soon)

Week 11 Start ‘Em: Tight ends

Start of the week

David Njoku at Saints (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Njoku had a stinker in his last game before the bye, scoring just 7.9 fantasy points. However, he had scored more than seventeen points in the previous two games, and he has been one of the most targeted tight ends in the league over the past month. In Week 11, he faces a Saints defense that has given up at least 9.1 fantasy points to seven different tight ends, including Ja’Tavion Sanders, Luke Schoonmaker and Will Dissly.

Start them

TJ Hockenson at Titans (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Hockenson looked great in his second game of the season, playing 39 snaps and scoring 15.2 fantasy points in a win over the Jags. He’s having a bad game on paper this week against the Titans, who have allowed the sixth-fewest points per game to tight ends, but I’m ignoring the game in this case. With four teams behind him and Hockenson looking like his old self, he’s back as a virtual must-start.

Pat Freiermuth vs. Ravens (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Freiermuth has been virtually invisible in the stat sheet lately, tallying 22 or fewer receiving yards in four of his last five games. Still, with four teams on a bye, he’s worth rolling the dice against the Ravens. Their defense was generous to the tight end, allowing seven players to score at least 9.7 points, including five with at least 15.5. Since Week 7, three tight ends have beaten them by more than 16 points.

Jonnu Smith vs. Raiders (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Smith has been more involved in the Dolphins offense lately, seeing at least six goals in four of his last five games. He also has a nice game in Week 11, facing a Raiders defense that has allowed 25 or more points to two tight ends in each of their last two games. Additionally, no defense in the league has allowed more fantasy points per game to opponents dating back to Week 7.

TEs with good matchups

Sits of the week

Evan Engram at Lions (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Engram is almost impossible to sit during the bye weeks, so consider this a warning. The Lions’ defense has only allowed a tight end to score double figures against them once this season, as Trey McBride, Tucker Kraft, Jake Ferguson and Dalton Schultz have all had no real success against them. Engram also receives passes from Mac Jones, who had a terrible 38.3 passer rating in his first start last week.

Sit down

Jake Ferguson vs. Texans (Mon. 8:15 PM ET, ESPN): Maybe this is a rage sit ’em, since I’m a Cowboys fan and that offense looked brutal last week, but it’s hard to trust anyone with a star on their helmet at this point. That includes Ferguson, who had just five targets and was held to 4.4 fantasy points in a terrible loss to the Eagles. The Texans’ defense has also allowed just one tight end to beat them by more than 13.1 points this season.

Kyle Pitts at Broncos (4:05 PM ET, Fox): Pitts has seen his numbers dip over the past two weeks, scoring a total of 11.6 fantasy points on just five catches. He also has a tough matchup against the Broncos, who have allowed single digits to every tight end not named Travis Kelce or Brock Bowers. That list includes Mark Andrews, Cade Oton and Pat Freiermuth. If you’re starting with Pitts, it’s best to temper your fantasy expectations.

Cole Kmet vs. Packers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Kmet could end up with a huge stat line at any time, but he has been all or nothing this season. In fact, he’s been held to single digits in every match where he hasn’t scored 24 or more points (only twice). So while this week’s game against the Packers isn’t bad on paper, it’s hard to enter Kmet with any confidence. The Bears’ offense is also a total mess, making Kmet even more of a gamble for managers.

TEs with bad matchups