We are in Week 10 of the fantasy football season and the playoff races are now getting serious. There are also a handful of bye week teams owners still have to account for. These next few weeks will make or break your season, so choose your starters wisely.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 10: Tight ends
We take a look at tight ends worth starting this week, along with players who should be avoided.
William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports
This week’s bye teams are the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, and Oakland Raiders. None of those teams have an elite fantasy tight end, but solid mid-level options like Eric Ebron, Charles Clay, and Jack Doyle will be unavailable this week. That further thins out the talent pool at a position that’s already volatile, so owners have a tough decision to make with their starters. Which TEs are worth plugging into your lineup, and which ones should you avoid? Let’s take a closer look.
All fantasy stats via Fantasy Pros
Start
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Atlanta Falcons)
Ertz is suffering through kind of a lost year, missing multiple weeks with a rib injury and failing to get on the same page with Carson Wentz. He finally woke up last week with eight catches for 97 yards, and now gets a Falcons defense that’s giving up the fifth-most fantasy points to tight ends. He’s worth a shot, and might even find the end zone for the first time this year.
Zach Miller, Chicago Bears (@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Miller was one of the biggest beneficiaries of Jay Cutler’s return, racking up seven catches for 88 yards against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8. With the Bucs failing to stop anyone this year, Miller will be a borderline TE1. He’s a decent bet to finish the season strong if Cutler stays healthy.
Will Tye, New York Giants (vs. Cincinnati Bengals)
Tye appears to have jumped Larry Donnell on the depth chart, playing 46 snaps and seeing seven targets against the Eagles last week. Tye hasn’t done much of note this season, but if the Giants are serious about getting him involved, he’ll be a solid streamer against a Bengals defense giving up the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends.
Sit
Julius Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars (@ Houston Texans)
At this point, Thomas is essentially a rich man’s Cameron Brate -- a touchdown-or-bust option who will bust hard if he doesn’t find the end zone. He can’t even take advantage of Blake Bortles’ garbage time production, having not reached 70 receiving yards since Week 2. Thomas is hands-off against the Texans’ elite pass defense.
Coby Fleener, New Orleans Saints (vs. Denver Broncos)
Fleener’s snap count the past four games: 41, 43, 26, 30. His targets: 7, 2, 4, 6. He’s not being used much in the Saints’ offense, and that makes him an easy sit against Denver’s defense, which is still tough against the pass even without Aqib Talib.
Austin Hooper, Falcons (@ Eagles)
Jacob Tamme is still out with a shoulder injury, so the Falcons’ tight end job comes down to Hooper and Levine Toilolo. Hooper had a solid game last week with three catches for 46 yards and a touchdown, but Matt Ryan doesn’t target his tight end that much, so his fantasy ceiling will be limited. In addition, Philadelphia is allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends this year. Hooper’s an intriguing talent, but let’s play the “wait and see” game for now.
