Week 3 was another curious moment this fantasy football season for the tight end position. While perennial elites Travis Kelce and George Kittle were among the highest scorers, two of the top five tight ends for the weekend — Donald Parham Jr. of the Los Angeles Chargers and Pharaoh Brown of the New England Patriots — are both backups who each managed their impressive fantasy football outputs on just two catches.

On the year, only six tight ends are averaging better than 10 fantasy football points per game in PPR leagues. One of them is Detroit Lions rookie Sam LaPorta. We included LaPorta in the “TEs to Start” section each of the last two weeks and he has delivered, first with 11.3 fantasy points in Week 2 then a 22.4-point breakout performance against the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday. As the TE2, he is a must-start in all formats moving forward.

As we look ahead to Week 4, we once again tackle the fantasy football outlook for the tight end position. This is Week 4 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Tight Ends.

TEs to Start in Week 4

Packers' Luke Musgrave (vs. Lions)

Luke Musgrave has quietly emerged as a solid option in the barren tight end landscape. Through three games, Musgrave is TE10 and is third on the Green Bay Packers with 15 targets. Against the New Orleans Saints last week, the rookie had a team-high six catches while totaling 49 yards.

The return of Christian Watson could eat into his target share, but Musgrave faces a Lions defense that has given up a league-high 25 catches and 263 receiving yards to tight ends this year. Detroit gave up 11 receptions for 88 yards to the Atlanta Falcons tight ends last week, setting up a solid Week 4 matchup for Luke Musgrave.

Chargers' Gerald Everett (vs. Raiders)

After a slow Week 1, Gerald Everett has improved his number of catches and receiving yards in each of the last two games — finishing last week with six catches for 30 yards. With number two wideout Mike Williams out for the rest of the year, Everett could see an uptick in production. The Los Angeles Chargers tight end is worth a look in Week 4 against a Las Vegas Raiders defense giving up the fifth-most fantasy points to tight ends in 2023.

Steelers' Pat Freiermuth (vs. Texans)

After a pair of clunkers to open the year, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense finally showed some signs of life against the Oakland Raiders. Tight end Pat Freiermuth had his best game of the season as well, hauling in three catches for 41 yards plus a much-needed touchdown. The Steelers will look to continue their offensive improvement in a Week 4 game against a Houston Texans defense that has been vulnerable in the passing game.

TEs to Sit in Week 3

Ravens' Mark Andrews (vs. Browns)

While Mark Andrews might be a top-three tight end in the league, if he is on your roster, you should start another tight end this week. The Cleveland Browns defense has held opposing tight ends to just 26 yards on seven catches through the first three games (all league bests). In two contests last year, the usually-dependable Ravens tight end managed just three catches for 31 yards.

Cleveland's defense is even stingier this season, giving up just 111.7 passing yards per game. Avoid this matchup if you can.

Browns' David Njoku (vs. Ravens)

A rule of thumb this year: if your fantasy football tight end is playing against an AFC North team, it is probably best to keep them on the bench. Three of the top four defenses against tight ends this year are in that division. The Baltimore Ravens are narrowly behind the Browns for the top spot, holding opposing tight ends to just 4.2 fantasy points per contest.

David Njoku is still coming in as a borderline top-10 fantasy tight end in most formats for this week despite being TE28 overall this year. The Browns' aerial attack is still getting off the ground and the Ravens' D will continue to stymie Cleveland in Week 4.

49ers' Zach Ertz (vs. 49ers)

This is also starting to feel like a weekly message: don't start your fantasy football tight ends against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers held Giants standout Darren Waller to just 20 yards on three receptions last week as San Francisco limited Daniel Jones to 137 passing yards.

Zach Ertz has been a pleasant surprise after rebounding from a season-ending knee injury in 2022, and he currently comes in at TE13, but this 49ers defense is too potent. Look elsewhere in Week 4.