Fantasy football managers know that every lineup decision can make or break a week, and choosing the right players to start or sit is where championships are won. With the 2026 NFL season underway, matchups, stats, and trends are more important than ever. From favorable matchups and scoring trends to players you should avoid in tough spots, my weekly positional start and sit guide is built to give you an edge.
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Tight Ends to Start
Kyle Pitts, TE (ATL)
Kyle Pitts had a rough afternoon in Tampa Bay, but I’m going back to him against Cincinnati. He caught two of five targets for just six yards as Atlanta’s passing game fell apart in the rain. Before that performance, Pitts had scored at least 13 PPR points in three consecutive games. His recent usage provides a stronger argument than his season-long numbers: since Week 5, he has a 17.5% target share, a 21.2% first-read share, and six red-zone targets while running routes on 66.9% of dropbacks. His 1.40 yards per route run during that stretch isn’t particularly impressive, and touchdowns have carried a significant portion of his production. However, Atlanta continues to involve him near the end zone, and last week’s offensive collapse doesn’t erase the role he established over the previous month.
Cincinnati gives Pitts a nice bounce-back opportunity in Week 9, making him a must-start. The Bengals allow seven catches and 88.7 receiving yards per game to tight ends, both second-most in the NFL. They haven’t allowed a touchdown to the position, so this recommendation shouldn’t depend entirely on Pitts extending his recent scoring production. The recommendation is more based on Pitts turning his recent usage in the Falcons passing game into more volume against a defense that has struggled to limit tight ends this season. Atlanta may also need to throw consistently to keep pace with Cincinnati’s offense this week, providing more passing opportunities. I’m starting Pitts as a back-end TE1 because of his recent involvement and the Bengals’ inability to contain tight ends this season.
T.J. Hockenson, TE (MIN)
T.J. Hockenson is producing again, and his role gives fantasy managers a reason to keep him in their lineups. He caught four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown against Detroit, finishing with 15.8 PPR points after posting four catches for 35 yards and a score against Indianapolis. The touchdowns have helped, but his season-long receiving profile is encouraging as well. Hockenson has a 20.44% target share, earns a target on approximately 25% of his routes, and averages 1.98 yards per route run. His 83.78% catch rate shows how consistently he has converted those opportunities into receptions. Kyler Murray’s hamstring injury creates some uncertainty about who will start under center, but Hockenson’s recent target involvement should keep him central to Minnesota’s passing attack regardless.
Buffalo hasn’t shut down tight ends consistently enough to move Hockenson out of starting lineups. The Bills have allowed 14.1 PPR points per game to the position, and five tight ends have reached at least 11 fantasy points against them since Week 2. He has already shown that he can remain productive in Minnesota’s offense in favorable matchups at the tight end position, and that should continue as the offense looks to keep pace with Josh Allen. Another touchdown would help him deliver a higher finish, but the receiving usage supports starting him without assuming he scores for a third straight game. I’m keeping Hockenson in as a TE1 because his involvement and recent production are too encouraging as of late to bench in this good matchup.
Greg Dulcich, TE (MIA)
Greg Dulcich has become a legitimate part of Miami’s passing game, making him one of my favorite tight end streamers this week. He caught four of six targets for 43 yards against New England after catching all five targets for 86 yards against the Jets. That gives him nine receptions for 129 yards over his last two games without needing a touchdown to produce. Dulcich has also received at least five targets in four of his last five appearances, an important development after his slow start to the season not being involved in the passing attack. His season-long 1.62 yards per route run and 78.57% catch rate support his ability to turn targets into useful production. Miami’s passing volume remains a limitation, but Dulcich is earning enough work to take advantage when the matchup cooperates.
No opponent has been more generous to tight ends than Detroit. The Lions have surrendered 61 receptions, 684 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns to the position through seven games. That works out to approximately 8.7 catches and 97.7 yards per game. Dulcich hasn’t scored this season, but he doesn’t need to find the end zone for this matchup to improve his outlook with his recent usage. Something to note as well is that multiple Lions defensive backs are dealing with injuries and may miss this week’s game. With Detroit’s defensive breakdowns, add scoring upside. I’m starting Dulcich as a back-end TE1 because the combination of increasing involvement and the league’s most favorable tight end matchup is too good to leave on the bench.
Tight Ends to Sit
Dalton Kincaid, TE (BUF)
Dalton Kincaid delivered against Baltimore, but I’m not chasing that performance into Minnesota. He caught four of six targets for 86 yards and a touchdown, producing 18.6 PPR points while playing through a chest injury. His season-long efficiency has been strong, averaging 2.51 yards per route run with a 77.14% catch rate and a 10.11-yard average target depth. Those numbers show why he can produce a big game when Buffalo gets him involved downfield. The concern is how consistently he receives enough opportunities to repeat it. Kincaid has an 18.13% target share, and his recent six-target performance doesn’t establish the kind of dominant workload that makes a difficult matchup easy to overlook.
Minnesota has given tight ends almost nothing to work with. Through seven games, the Vikings have allowed just 22 receptions for 273 yards and no touchdowns, limiting the position to a league-low 5.5 half-PPR points per game. They held Sam LaPorta to 33 yards last week, continuing a season in which no opposing tight end has exceeded 9.5 PPR points. That creates a difficult setup for Kincaid to repeat the yardage and scoring production that carried his performance against Baltimore. Buffalo can move the ball through other players without forcing targets into a matchup Minnesota has consistently dominated against opposing tight ends. I’m sitting Kincaid because his efficiency doesn’t outweigh a defense that has eliminated both touchdown production and substantial receiving totals from the position.
Dallas Goedert, TE (PHI)
Dallas Goedert continues to play enough snaps to attract fantasy interest, but Philadelphia’s offense isn’t turning that opportunity into meaningful production. He caught all four targets for 30 yards against Washington, adding a two-yard rush and finishing with just 7.2 PPR points despite playing 80% of the offensive snaps. Goedert hasn’t scored since his two-touchdown performance in Week 1, leaving him dependent on catches and modest yardage totals. His season-long 17.33% target share and 1.61 yards per route run haven’t been enough to overcome that scoring drought. A 5.69-yard average target depth also has limited his ceiling without the touchdowns. Add in the fact we have a chance at quarterback from Tanner McKee to Joe Milton, who knows what the Eagles’ passing game will hold this week.
There isn’t much in the Giants matchup to suggest a sudden turnaround. New York has allowed just 313 receiving yards and two touchdowns to tight ends through seven games, making it difficult to count on either a yardage breakout or an end to Goedert’s touchdown drought. Philadelphia has also ranked 29th in scoring and last in yards per play across Tanner McKee’s three starts. Goedert can remain on the field for most of the game and still finish with another short receiving line if the Eagles struggle to sustain drives. His playing time provides opportunity, but it hasn’t provided enough fantasy production to justify starting him on name value. I’m sitting Goedert because the limited downfield role, prolonged scoring drought, and struggling offense leave him with too little upside against a defense that has contained the position.
Juwan Johnson, TE (NO)
Juwan Johnson’s declining role has become a bigger problem than the disappointing fantasy totals. In New Orleans’ last game before its Week 8 bye, he caught his only target for seven yards while running a route on just 59% of dropbacks. He was targeted on only 4% of those routes and produced 0.29 yards per route run in that game. His route participation had fallen below 60% in consecutive appearances, with Noah Fant and Oscar Delp taking meaningful work in the tight end rotation. Johnson’s season-long 14.07% target share and 1.25 yards per route run offer little reassurance, particularly when the recent usage is weaker than those averages. He has scored just 7.3 PPR points combined over his last three games, and the shrinking opportunities explain why the production has disappeared.
Even a workable matchup against Cleveland won’t fix Johnson’s outlook unless New Orleans changes how it uses him. The Browns are among the ten most generous defenses in fantasy points allowed to tight ends, so this isn’t a sit based on an impossible opponent. However, their pass defense has allowed just a 59.5% completion rate and 6.6 yards per attempt while generating pressure on 38.3% of dropbacks. Those numbers make it harder to expect Johnson to turn a handful of routes and targets into a productive afternoon. Fant’s involvement in passing situations and Delp’s role in multiple tight-end packages continue to reduce the opportunities Johnson needs. I’m sitting him because the declining routes and targets leave too little production to trust, regardless of what the positional matchup suggests.
