Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 14: Tight ends

It’s crunch time in the fantasy football season. The playoffs are here and the stakes are higher than ever. If you were one of the lucky few to earn a first-round bye, sit back and enjoy Week 14 stress-free. For everyone else, they have work to do.

With the bye weeks over, owners should be rolling with the top starters who got them this far in the first place. However, some people still have tough decisions to make about which players they should trust in their lineup and push them to the next round. With that in mind, here are some recommended starting options at tight end, along with some players you should avoid.

Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Washington)

Carson Wentz may have gone into the tank along with the Eagles’ offense in general, but at least Ertz is still getting his. He had another productive game with nine catches for 79 yards and a touchdown last week. Facing an average Washington defense this week, Ertz has a path to TE1 value, especially if Jordan Matthews misses another game.

Ladarius Green, Pittsburgh Steelers (@ Buffalo Bills)

Green finally had the breakout performance we’ve been waiting for since making his return from injury, grabbing six catches for 110 yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants. He now gets the Bills this week. Green still isn’t playing a full complement of snaps, but the good news is that he’s being deployed as a pass catcher rather than as a blocker. Some risk does have to be factored in, since Pittsburgh has struggled on the road this year, but the upside is big enough to take that gamble.

C.J. Fiedorowicz, Houston Texans (@ Indianapolis Colts)

You know the drill by now: Brock Osweiler either can’t or won’t find the ball deep, so Fiedorowicz gets fed targets in the checkdown game. He doesn’t get many yards or red zone targets (just two touchdowns this year), but the reception numbers make him a stable TE2 in PPR leagues. The good news is that Fiedorowicz went off for six catches, 85 yards, and a touchdown the last time the Texans played the Colts in Week 6.

Martellus Bennett, New England Patriots (vs. Baltimore Ravens)

At some point, we need to admit that we’re chasing ghosts with Bennett based on name recognition alone. Playing through an ankle injury, he hasn’t done anything of note since filling in for Rob Gronkowski, and the Ravens’ defense is not a good spot to try to bounce back from. He simply hasn’t been that good the past few weeks and no longer has the benefit of the doubt in 12-team leagues.

Dwayne Allen, Colts (vs. Texans)

He’s not scoring three touchdowns again, so let’s throw last week’s stat line out the window. By the way, those scores were the first time he’s found the end zone since Week 5. Allen just hasn’t been predictable enough for fantasy owners to bank on this year, and Jack Doyle refuses to go away. The last time the Colts played the Texans, Allen had a grand total of one catch for 9 yards. Find a less volatile option for your playoff lineup.

Jared Cook, Green Bay Packers (vs. Seattle Seahawks)

Cook crashing back to earth after a big Week 11 performance was about the most predictable development this season. This is who he’s always been — show some potential one game, disappear for long stretches of the year. Now facing the Seahawks in possiblly snowy conditions at Lambeau Field, Cook is an obvious stay-away.