Starts
Start of the Week –
Jonnu Smith vs Chicago Bears
Smith has fallen off a bit since his minor injury, but I expect him to get back on track this weekend against the Bears. Why you ask? The receivers are going to have some issues dealing with the secondary, and that should give Smith the room he needs to strike in the endzone.
Rob Gronkowski vs New Orleans Saints
Gronk has revived for all fantasy owners scoring touchdowns three weeks in a row. He draws a great matchup against the Saints who suck at protecting the field against tight ends. They are 30th and give up an average of 16 points a game to the position. Start Gronk with confidence.
T.J. Hockenson vs Minnesota Vikings
Hockenson has really come to life this year with Stanford back in full health. He draws a good matchup against the Vikings this weekend as their defense has given up an average of 14 points a game to the position. Golladay will also be out which gives me a better target share whether Stanford plays or not.
Hayden Hurst vs Denver Broncos
Hayden Hurst has taken over in being the security blanket for Matt Ryan. He’s not quite to Austin Hooper level yet, but racking up double digit points in the last couple of weeks gives him good luck this week when taking on the Broncos. Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage’s health is in question so Hurst should take all of those targets nicely if they are out.
Noah Fant vs Atlanta Falcons
Fant is in a good place right now. This week he faces the Atlanta Falcons who are by far the worst team at defending tight ends finishing 32nd (dead last) in the NFL 2020 season. Absolutely get him in your starting lineup as he will do wonders for your team this week.
Sleepers;
Eric Ebron vs Dallas Cowboys
Logan Thomas vs New York Giants
Jordan Akins vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Sits
Sit of the Week –
Jimmy Graham vs Tennessee Titans
Graham is finding himself now in a constant battle to prove why he is the best tight end for Chicago. He has Kmet to deal with, and with rookie receiver Darnell Mooney making splash for the first time, it will be interesting how much Jimmy plays into the game script with his drop problem.
Hunter Henry vs Las Vegas Raiders
Henry has been shrugged off in the passing game lately which is odd considering his talent as a tight end. However, Herbert’s love trust for Keenan Allen is not going away so it might be best to temper expectations for Herbert this week.
Robert Tonyan va San Francisco 49ers
Tonyan did decent last weekend against the Vikings scoring 12 points. This matchup against the 49ers though does not look like a good one. They are the 6th toughest defense against the position, and knowing Rodgers he’s gonna be chucking balls down to Adams all day.
Mike Gesicki vs Arizona Cardinals
Gesicki is going on the sit list this week against the Cardinals, but I’m honestly not sure how he’ll do in a Tua style play card. We haven’t seen what the offense can really do as last week the defense put the hurt on Jard Goff and the Rams. The Cardinals are a better defense this year, and I’d just rather not gamble all these chips this round.
Dalton Schultz vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Schultz’s value like the rest of the Cowboys has gone down in recent weeks. I would say he might have a better chance than the rest of the Cowboys offense due to him being a security blanket for whoever plays quarterback this week. I’d just wouldn’t tempt this chance though.
Busts;
Trey Burton vs Baltimore Ravens
Greg Olsen vs Buffalo Bills
Tyler Eifert vs Houston Texans
thoughtsfromthebench.com 