It’s NFL Week 14. The fantasy football playoffs are (possibly) underway, depending on your league, while the real-life playoff race is heating up. Before setting your lineup — and unless you have Travis Kelce or Darren Waller — take note of a few honest recommendations for what to do with the following tight end options before Sunday.

TEs to Start in NFL Week 14

Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers

Don’t overreact to one game.

Yes, Henry was nowhere to be found last Sunday in the Patriots’ 45-0 drubbing of the Chargers — two targets for five yards — but neither was anybody else on Los Angeles.

This Sunday, I expect Henry and the rest of the Bolts offense to bounce back in a favorable matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.

Before Sunday’s dud, Henry was averaging over seven fantasy points and six targets per each of his previous four games. The Falcons defense has improved since Raheem Morris took over as head coach after NFL Week 5, but the secondary and pass rush remain an issue.

Atlanta has given up the fifth-most points to opposing tight ends on the NFL season, with the second-most TDs. Tight ends have averaged nearly 16 fantasy points against them, overall.

This NFL game has a chance to be a wacky shootout (like any Falcons games), so Henry has to be a start. In fact, he’s a borderline top-5 tight end this week.

Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Clearly, Tom Brady and the Bucs are trying to get Gronk more involved as the NFL season moves toward the playoffs.

In Tampa’s last game, a 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in NFL Week 12, the veteran tight saw nine targets and tallied receptions of 29 and 48 yards. In total, Gronkowski had six receptions for 106 yards — the first time he’s surpassed 100 yards as a Buccaneer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA7Muu5QIz0

With his recent uptick in production, Gronkowski is averaging nearly seven fantasy points per NFL game this season (depending on your scoring, of course).

The 31-year-old should be fresh coming off an idle week, and I like him to continue seeing targets at home against another NFL playoff contender in the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings.

Noah Fant, Denver Broncos 

The lack of touchdowns has put a major dent in Fant’s fantasy value this season: he hasn’t scored since NFL Week 2.

Yet, he averages nearly 15 yards per catch, which has kept him as a starting-caliber tight end for most of the 2020 NFL season. He’s a safe bet for five-plus targets per game.

Fant has scored nine or more fantasy points in three of his past five NFL games, and one of the two he didn’t was started by a practice squad wide receiver.

He should be able to get open against a Carolina Panthers defense that fares better guarding wideouts. The Panthers have allowed roughly 14 fantasy points per NFL game to tight ends on the season, one of the highest marks in the league.

Fant is due to find the end zone. Why not this week?

TEs to Sit in Week 14

Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns

Many folks expected Hooper to increase his production in his first NFL season with the Cleveland Browns after Odell Beckham Jr. tore his ACL in Week 7.

But it just hasn’t happened for Hooper, despite the Browns’ winning ways.

The 26-year-old has 30 catches on the NFL season, an average of three per game. He’s seen two targets over his past three outings. He has just 81 receiving yards over his past four games.

In NFL Week 13, as Baker Mayfield racked up the numbers against the Tennessee Titans, Hooper missed out on the action, garnering just two targets. Clearly, Kevin Stefanski’s offense is prioritizing Cleveland’s talented receivers and backfield over its tight ends.

This week, a stingy Baltimore Ravens will pose formidable threat for Hooper and the Browns on ESPN's NFL Monday Night Football.

Hooper failed to make an impact (two receptions, 15 yards) in Cleveland’s Week 1 loss to Baltimore, and I don’t see NFL Week 14 going that much differently for the talented-yet-under-utilized tight end.

Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints

You might think Cook would be a useful NFL security blanket for Taysom Hill, but the opportunities haven’t been there for the veteran since Hill replaced an injured Drew Brees at quarterback.

Cook did score a random TD last week — as tight ends occasionally do — but recorded just 28 receiving yards in the Saints’ Week 13 NFL win over the Falcons.

Since NFL Week 9, Cook has averaged around three fantasy points per game, as the Saints offense has reverted to a ground attack with Hill under center. In fact, Cook had one catch on five targets in three games before finding the end zone in Week 13.

The Eagles are a favorable NFL matchup on paper, but Cook simply hasn’t been a TE1 in 2020, regardless of who has been under center for New Orleans.

Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles

Like Cook, Ertz is a well-known NFL veteran who can be tempting to stick in a lineup — especially as a streaming option — due to a combination of respect for past performance and name recognition. But his role in the Eagles struggling offense these days is too limited to trust him in a crucial fantasy matchup.

Ertz returned from an ankle injury in NFL Week 13 and caught two passes on four targets.

Dallas Goedert has led Philly in receiving each of the past three games, and has clearly usurped Ertz in the offense. Of course, things could change with Jalen Hurts under center, though I wouldn’t bet on the rookie and the Eagles passing attack to light up the Saints staunch NFL defense that has allowed the third-fewest yards per target to tight ends this year, per Fantasy Pros.

On the NFL season, Ertz is averaging eight yards per catch, which ranks last amongst tight ends with at least 30 targets, per CBS Sports. You can do better this week.

Best of luck!