Week 1 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em TE picks from FlurrySports include the San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle.
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The fantasy football tight end is in an interesting spot. For one reason or another, many of the relevant players had some sort of change this offseason. Did they change teams, or maybe their team had a coaching change? Several other TEs are fighting their way back from injuries that derailed last season. And despite all of that, the position is deeper than it has ever been, creating some fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em questions to tackle in the first week of the season.
Look, I am not here to tell you that Brock Bowers or Trey McBride are worthy of starts. Hell, we’ll leave that type of analysis to the Fantasy Football Counselor or some other hack. Instead, we will look at the players who potentially may or may not be a TE1, depending on their weekly matchup.
Now, labeling a player as a “sit” does not mean they are a must-sit player. As always, check out our weekly fantasy football rankings here. You can also become a member to join a group chat with Zach Brunner and other members where all fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em questions are welcome!
Quarterbacks — Week 1 Fantasy Football Start/Sit
Running Backs — Week 1 Fantasy Football Start/Sit
Wide Receivers — Week 1 Fantasy Football Start/Sit
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Fantasy Football Start ’em, Sit ’em: Week 1 TEs
Start: Juwan Johnson Fantasy Outlook at Lions
Why is everyone ignoring Juwan Johnson? After finishing as the TE9 last season, the team got rid of Taysom Hill, Tyler Shough got the full offseason work as the starter, and the only major receiving addition (Jordyn Tyson) got hurt and won’t play. So, Johnson will be the second receiving option in a game where the Saints are expected to be trailing, and that is a big reason why he is featured in the NFL Week 1 Fantasy Football Start ’em, Sit ’em!
On top of that, the Detroit Lions will be without Brian Branch, who continues to recover from injury. He is the versatile defender who often matches up with tight ends, and his absence helps to create a very solid matchup for Johnson. Check to see if he is on waivers in your league, considering he was TE21 in the ADP for some unknown reason.
Start: Isaiah Likely Fantasy Outlook vs Cowboys
Last season, there was a loud community shouting that Isaiah Likely would be so good if he didn’t play alongside Mark Andrews. Then, Likely signed with the New York Giants, and there was hype for his fantasy stock. However, the hype has slowly gotten quieter and quieter, and I am here to remind you of Mr. Likely and his role with the Giants.
The new money will always tell the story, and this new money for Likely was $40 million over three years. Malik Nabers will likely be limited, and the team recently released Darius Slayton. There are plenty of targets up for grabs, and it would be surprising if Isaiah Likely didn’t play a large role in a prime-time game.
Sit: George Kittle Fantasy Outlook vs Rams
To kick off the more pessimistic side of my Week 1 Fantasy Football Start ’em, Sit ’em, we’ll go down under and say to sit George Kittle. The speed of his recovery was remarkable. If there’s anyone who would bounce back in a freakishly short amount of time, it would be him. Still, I have zero confidence in him this week.
The Los Angeles Rams were average against fantasy tight ends last season, but they added a ton to their defense. A very large piece was Myles Garrett, who will require the attention of the entire offense. If you are a George Kittle fantasy owner, I fully get that you want to start the guy who was so good last year. However, so much of his value to the 49ers in this game is likely blocking, both by chipping on pass plays and drive blocking on run plays.
Kittle is almost certainly on a snap count. So, if he is utilizing a ton of energy in blocking, his receiving and fantasy value shrinks. There are better options out there to play, so you don’t need to risk starting your week with a Thursday dud.
Sit: Jake Ferguson Fantasy Outlook at Giants
Jake Ferguson is a really talented tight end, but this is a case of too many mouths to feed in Dallas. Last season, Ferguson finished as TE4 in PPR leagues. You would think that inspires confidence, but stats are useless without context.
While playing alongside both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, the Cowboys’ tight end averaged 4.0 receptions, 5.3 targets, 30.5 yards and 0.3 touchdowns per game. Not great. In essentially four full games without Lamb, Ferguson averaged 7.5 receptions, 8.3 targets, 51 yards and one touchdown per game. Clearly, he did most of his damage in those four games.
Both of the Cowboys’ top receivers are healthy for Week 1 against the New York Giants. That’s a great reason for Jake Ferguson being featured in our Fantasy Football Start ’em, Sit ’em.
