The 2020 NFL season is nearing its halfway point, meaning that for fantasy football general managers, the stretch run is upon us.
Whether you’re trying to solidify a first-round bye or looking for your first win of the season, having a quality tight end can help maximize your lineup’s potential, and can be a safety if one of your workhouse running backs or wide receivers posts a disappointing performance.
2020 has been one of the deepest years for tight ends in recent memory, so even if you aren’t one of the lucky ones to have drafted one of the premiere tight ends like Travis Kelce or Mark Andrews, there are still quality tight ends to be found, either buried on rosters or at the top of the waiver wire.
Tight Ends to start in Week 1
Noah Fant, Denver Broncos
The second-year tight end out of Iowa has quietly been having one of the better fantasy seasons among tight ends in all of football, as he is currently ranked as TE6 on NFL.com after averaging 12.34 fantasy points per week.
Fant, who leads all Broncos with 6.8 targets per game, has a favorable matchup this week going up against a Chargers defense who gives up 9.3 fantasy points per week, per Pro Football Reference.
Often used as a safety blanket for young passer Drew Lock, Fant is due to catch more than a few balls on Sunday, and if he can find the end zone, he could post one of the best tight end performances in Week 8.
Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans
Smith made a name for himself after dominating the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs back in January and has proven this season those performances were not flukes.
Smith has not looked great in the last two weeks (4.2 combined points according to ESPN fantasy), but appears to be healthy after dealing with a nagging ankle injury and is going up against a Bengals defense that just got lit up by a rookie tight end in Cleveland’s Harrison Bryant.
Fantasy general managers can expect to see Smith return back to top-10 status this week, perhaps even top five if he gets a few red zone targets.
Jimmy Graham, Chicago Bears
Speaking of red zone targets, Graham has come back from the dead in the fantasy football community because he ranks second in red zone targets among NFL tight ends, per NFLsavant.com.
Graham is sure to get a few more red zone targets and score against his former team in New Orleans, who is giving up more than 12 fantasy points a game to opposing tight ends this season.
Fantasy players who have rostered Graham should expect to go off in this revenge game, which will be played in the stadium where the former Miami Hurricane made a name for himself.
Other Fantasy Tight Ends to start: Mike Gesicki vs. Rams, Richard Rogers vs. Cowboys, Albert Okwuegbunam vs. Chargers
Tight Ends to sit in Week 8
T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions
If he wasn’t drafted in shallow leagues, Hockenson was surely picked up by general managers looking for a tight end after scoring in consecutive weeks, including catching the game-winning touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons.
TJ HOCKENSON. FOR THE WIN. ON #NationalTightEndsDay! #OnePride #DETvsATL pic.twitter.com/IgPI0pOLGy
— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2020
While Hockenson has climbed into the top 10 of TE red zone targets this season, he’s going up against a Colts defense who has been the best in the league against tight ends this season (opposing tight ends only average 2.2 points against them).
Even though Hockenson has proven to be one of the most exciting young tight ends in football, expect a quiet week against Indianapolis for the former Iowa Hawkeye.
Evan Engram, New York Giants
Engram has been one of the most disappointing tight ends in all of fantasy football, even though this has been his first NFL season where he appears to be 100 percent healthy.
It doesn’t help Engram’s case that the guy throwing him the ball in Daniel Jones loves to turn the ball over in big games, as the Giants face Tampa Bay on Monday Night Football this week.
Expect another quiet week from Engram this week, who is going up against a good Bucs defense who only gives up 7.1 points per game to tight ends this season.
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Rams
While Everett was picked up by many fantasy general managers after scoring against the Bears last week, he doesn’t have a favorable matchup this week in Miami.
The Dolphins defense has been surprisingly decent this season, as they only allow 3.2 points per game to tight ends this season.
It should also be noted that Everett’s body clock is likely to get messed up this weekend. On top of the Rams traveling east to face Miami, Everett will lose an hour of sleep as our clocks fall forward for daylight savings time.
At this point in his career, Everett is only a fantasy value if he can find the end zone, which seems unlikely on Sunday.
Other Fantasy Tight Ends to sit: Irv Smith @ Packers, David Njoku vs. Raiders, Trey Burton, Jack Doyle vs. Lions
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