Week 11 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Candidates: Tight Ends
Wondering whom to start and sit at tight end this week? Below are three top-notch starts and one sit option at the tight end position for Week 11 of the 2022 NFL season.
Week 10 Review – half-PPR scoring
Starts
- TE Kyle Pitts (Atlanta Falcons) @ Carolina Panthers – 3.8 fantasy points (TE2)
- TE Greg Dulcich (Denver Broncos) @ Tennessee Titans – 1.6 fantasy points (TE34)
Sits
- TE Pat Freiermuth (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. New Orleans Saints – 5.6 fantasy points (TE16)
- TE Mike Gesicki (Miami Dolphins) vs. Cleveland Browns – 4.1 fantasy points (TE20)
Tight Ends – Starts
Foster Moreau (Las Vegas Raiders) @ Denver Broncos
Filling in for Darren Waller, tight end Foster Moreau has operated as the Las Vegas Raiders No. 1 tight end since the team’s Week 6 bye, logging an 85.2% route participation rate, second highest among NFL tight ends with at least 15 targets during that span, per 4for4’s NFL Player Stats Explorer.
Moreau’s 18.0% targets per route run rate and 1.13 yards per route run leave some to be desired but his 28.6% team end zone target share is seventh best among qualifying tight ends.
With slot receiver Hunter Renfrow landing on injured reserve last Thursday, Moreau handled Robin duties to Davante Adams’ Batman, catching three-of-four targets for 43 yards and one touchdown.
The Denver Broncos, Las Vegas’ Week 11 opponent, are allowing a moderate 10.1 half-PPR points per game to opposing tight ends, per 4for4’s Schedule-Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed. The potential absence of 2021 Second-Team All-Pro free safety Justin Simmons (knee) would enhance Moreau’s outlook.
Though not elite, Moreau’s usage is reasonably sturdy in an otherwise barren landscape.
Trey McBride (Arizona Cardinals) vs. San Francisco 49ers
The first step toward tight-end fantasy relevance is deployment. After Arizona Cardinals No. 1 tight end Zach Ertz suffered a season-end knee injury after just nine Week-10 snaps, rookie Trey McBride, college football’s 2021 Mackey Award winner, stormed out to an 82.1% route participation rate. It was the ninth-highest rate among NFL tight ends to earn at least one target last week.
McBride was the first tight end drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, selected at No. 55 overall. McBride’s 90 receptions were tied for 13th in the NCAA, regardless of position, and his 1,121 receiving yards were 23rd. Standing 6-foot-3, 245-pounds, McBride boasts solid hops with speed to spare, profiling similarly to his Week 11 opponent George Kittle.
San Francisco defends the tight end position very well, but McBride’s profile shows extreme promise. Mackey Award winners in the four years prior (Kyle Pitts (Atlanta Falcons), Harrison Bryant (Cleveland Browns), T.J. Hockenson (Minnesota Vikings), and Mark Andrews (Baltimore Ravens)) have largely been difference makers in fantasy football and it’s better to be early than late at the position.
Tre’ McKitty (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers second-year tight end Tre’ McKitty stepped up after No. 1 tight end Gerald Everett suffered a groin injury last week, earning six targets via a 69.8% route participation rate. McKitty’s 20.0% targets per route run rate indicate helpful target-earning potential in Week 11. Per Adam Hutchison’s Injury Index, groin strains typically result in 1.9 games missed at the tight end position
The statuses of Nos. 1 and 2 wide receivers Keenan Allen (hamstring) and Mike Williams (high-ankle sprain) are highly volatile. McKitty has access to a No. 3 pass catcher role behind wide receiver Joshua Palmer and running back Austin Ekeler.
The Kansas City Chiefs are allowing 12.5 half-PPR points to opposing tight ends, the fifth most in the NFL.
Tight End – Sits
Dawson Knox (Buffalo Bills) vs. Cleveland Browns
Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox has earned a 13.1% team target share since Buffalo’s Week 7 bye. His 15.0% targets per route run rate and 1.06 yards per route run leave much to be desired.
This week, Knox will go to battle against a Cleveland Browns defense permitting just 7.1 half-PPR points per game to opposing tight ends, the seventh fewest in the NFL. Cleveland has largely kept tight ends in check over their last two games despite missing coverage linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah due to a knee injury. Owusu-Koramoah returned to practice in a limited capacity last Friday though which gives him a great chance of returning for Week 11.
