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Fantasy football season is fully underway, and managers everywhere will be preparing for an important week of action in Week 4. Teams are starting to come into more focus, with lineup locks being established, and benches being solidified. The campaign is still young, so there's time for your fortunes to change, regardless of whether you've had a hot or cold start.
An easy spot for you to gain a leg up on your opponent is by finding a productive tight end, and there are a couple of solid options you can turn to this week. The problem is there are always quite a few guys worth avoiding, so with that being said, let's check out our start em sit em tight ends list for Week 4.
Tight ends to start in Week 4
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (@ Los Angeles Chargers)
Travis Kelce has been one of the top tight ends in the NFL for so long that his incredibly slow start to the season has been relatively shocking. While Kelce began to show some signs that he was slowing down last season, he has just eight catches for 69 yards through three games, making him a colossal disappointment for fantasy football managers who invested a high draft pick on him.
There's a chance Kelce is declining right before our eyes, but he has a great opportunity to put together his first big game of the season in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Simply put, the Chargers don't have the personnel to lock up Kelce for a full game (especially with Derwin James being suspended for this contest), and if they divert all their attention to the talented tight end, it will just result in another big game for Rashee Rice. Kelce has been disappointing, but that should be expected to change in Week 4.
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons (vs. New Orleans Saints)
There was hope that Kyle Pitts would finally break out this season for the Atlanta Falcons, but that hasn't really happened to this point. He's flashed at times, but he remains the fantasy football enigma he's been early on in his career. However, a big game could be in the cards for him in Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints.
While the Saints have done a lot of things right early on this season, they just allowed Dallas Goedert to go off for 10 catches and 170 yards in Week 3, meaning there's going to be room for Pitts to operate in this one. If this game turns into a shootout, which it very well could, expect the result to be a big day from Pitts, who is a sneaky starter option for fantasy managers in Week 4.
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears (vs. Los Angeles Rams)
Cole Kmet has been a boom-or-bust tight end for quite some time, and in Week 3, he put up quite a big boom outing (10 REC, 97 YDS, 1 TD). It was encouraging to see Kmet be frequently targeted by Caleb Williams, and there's reason to believe that it could happen again in Week 4 when they take on the Los Angeles Rams.
While the Rams have had a strong start to the season, they don't really have the personnel to lock up star tight ends. Kmet is a huge red zone threat to begin with, and when you consider the volume he was on the receiving end of in Week 3, it looks like he could put up another huge outing in Week 4. There's certainly some risk associated with starting him, but fantasy football managers who have the guts to insert him into the starting lineup could be rewarded in a big way.
Tight ends to sit in Week 4
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars (@ Houston Texans)
The 2024 campaign has been an absolute mess for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and that's certainly been true for Evan Engram. After a breakout campaign in 2023, Engram recorded just one catch for five yards in the Jags season-opener, before missing the next two games with a hamstring injury he suffered during Jacksonville's Week 2 pregame warmups.
Engram could return to action in Week 4, but even if he does, he's not exactly the most enticing option. The Jaguars passing game has been horrible so far, and they are going up against a strong Houston Texans defense. Engram probably won't get a full workload if he plays, so it's best to hold off on him for now and wait for him to get fully healthy before inserting him back into your lineups.
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions (vs. Seattle Seahawks)
Another guy battling an injury right now is Detroit Lions star tight end Sam LaPorta. While the Lions picked up a win in Week 3, they saw LaPorta suffer a low-ankle sprain along the way, which has thrown his status for Week 4 in jeopardy. The issue is that even without his injury, LaPorta is a big question mark for the Lions right now.
Despite being billed as the top tight end in the league this year, LaPorta has been a nonfactor so far this year in the passing game. And if he does suit up in Week 4, which is a big question mark right now, he isn't going to be 100 percent, which is even more of a reason to avoid him. All signs are pointing to LaPorta riding the bench in Week 4, and if you are counting on him to play, it'd be best to go search for another option immediately.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots (@ San Francisco 49ers)
Hunter Henry exploded for 109 yards on eight catches in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks from out of nowhere to restore some fantasy value for himself. The problem is that he has just four catches for 27 yards in the other two games this season. Oh, and the New England Patriots passing attack has been virtually nonexistent so far this year.
There's certainly upside to playing Henry if he gets force fed the ball like he did in Week 2, but that almost certainly isn't going to happen in Week 4 against a San Francisco 49ers team that is allowing the fewest fantasy points to tight ends so far this season. Unless Drake Maye ends up under center, there's virtually no reason to turn to Henry in Week 4.
