Week 14 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 14 of the 2022 NFL season.
Week 13 Review – half-PPR scoring
Starts
- TE David Njoku (Cleveland Browns) @ Houston Texans – 0.0 fantasy points (N/A)
- TE George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers) vs. Miami Dolphins – 3.2 fantasy points (TE30)
- TE Pat Freiermuth (Pittsburgh Steelers) @ Atlanta Falcons – 9.1 fantasy points (TE8)
Sits
- TE Mike Gesicki (Miami Dolphins) @ San Francisco 49ers – 0.0 fantasy points (T-TE58)
Tight Ends – Starts
Chigoziem Okonkwo (Tennessee Titans) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans rookie tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo has been an efficiency monster this year and his opportunities are only increasing. Okonkwo’s 32.0% targets per route run rate leads the position by a 2.0% margin, among 40 NFL tight ends with at least 25 targets and his 3.57 yards per route run leads the group by a cartoonish 1.17 yards, per 4for4's NFL Player Stats Explorer.
His route participation rate climbed to 58.8% last week. Given his extreme efficiency, there is no reason to think that head coach Mike Vrabel would decrease his deployment, especially with rookie phenom wide receiver Treylon Burks having been placed in the league’s concussion protocol. Per DPT Adam Hutchison’s Injury Index, wide receivers average 1.7 games missed after suffering a concussion. In the event that Burks misses Week 14, it is possible Okonkwo operates as the team’s No. 1 pass catcher with veteran wide receiver Robert Woods well past his prime and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine operating in a volatile downfield role.
Dalton Schultz (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Houston Texans
Dallas Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz has been a volatile producer since returning from injury in Week 7 but Week 14 is a smash spot and his advanced receiving metrics are still very strong.
Among 40 NFL tight ends with at least 25 targets, Schultz’s 24.0% targets per route run ranks ninth overall and his 1.55 yards per route run are No. 17.
Dallas boasts a 31.0-point over/under against the lowly Houston Texans, who are currently allowing 11.9 half-PPR points to opposing tight ends, the sixth most in the NFL, per 4for4's Schedule-Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed.
*Check out the full TE Rankings here.
Tight End – Sits
David Njoku (Cleveland Browns) @ Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku is returning from a nonspecific knee injury this week, just three weeks after returning from a high-ankle sprain. Per Hutchison’s Injury Index, tight ends who miss just one game with a nonspecific knee injury experience a 44.4% dip in fantasy production upon their initial return.
Cleveland's offense is now piloted by quarterback Deshaun Watson, whose abysmal Week 13 showing instills little confidence.
The Cincinnati Bengals are limiting opposing tight ends to just 5.4 half-PPR points per game, the third-lowest rate in the NFL. Last week, they limited 2021 six-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce to just four receptions on six targets for 56 scoreless yards.
Cade Otton (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) @ San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie tight end Cade Otton has flashed on occasion (Weeks 9 and 13) but both performances came when veteran tight end Cam Brate missed time. Brate’s week 13 absence was caused by an illness and he is expected to return this week.
The San Francisco 49ers coverage linebackers have limited opposing tight ends to just 6.9 half-PPR points per game, the fifth-fewest in the NFL and their pass rush (21.4% quarterback pressure rate, 11th best) is going to be a problem for Tampa Bay’s depleted offensive line.
