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Who should I start for Week 12 of the 2024 season? Fantasy football outlooks for Tucker Kraft, Cade Otton, Dallas Goedert, Dalton Schultz, and Zach Ertz.
The tight-end position is perhaps the most difficult to predict in fantasy football. Even for the best players in this position, usage in the passing game can vary wildly on a week-by-week basis, creating frustrating situations for fantasy managers, who obviously want to start the highest-scoring guys.
To make matters worse, some of them seem to fall off the face of the earth at times. TEs regularly have hot streaks only to disappear again. Like Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who caught just two passes for eight yards in Week 11.
So, who are five tight ends who are fantasy-relevant this year, and should they be started in Week 12?
Should I Start Tucker Kraft for Fantasy Football?
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft seemed like a breakout star TE for a five-game stretch from Weeks 4-8. But in Week 11, he blanked his fantasy managers by scoring zero points. He was only targeted once against the Chicago Bears. That's a far cry from some of his other games.
His streak of great production coincided exactly with when he caught five touchdowns in four games. He hasn't caught any in the past two weeks. He's extremely TD-dependent. It doesn't help that he's on a team that loves to spread the ball around. He has way too much target competition.
Still, in leagues with 14 or more teams, it's worth starting him. There just aren't many great options at TE. Week 11 was also weird in that Green Bay ran so few pass plays, and that shouldn't always be the case moving forward.
Should I Start Cade Otton for Fantasy Football?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton has benefited from elite target volume over the past eight games. He's now been targeted 70 times in his 10 games and turned that into a TE5 ranking. The return of wide receiver Mike Evans (hamstring) is sure to siphon some targets away from Otton, though.
Mike Evans should be back this week, but Someone has to step up in the Bucs WR room. No one outside of Cade Otton has stepped into the receiving role while Mike and Godwin have been out.
Shepard is a seasoned vet. Palmer has been a mystery. McMillan dealing with another injury.…
— Ashlie (@EMT_Ashlie) November 18, 2024
None of the team's other pass-catchers have stepped up, so Otton will probably still get a decent number of targets. He should still be started in all leagues, as the team may opt to divert targets away from the running backs, but his floor will be much lower now. He could easily have bust games if the number of passing-game looks he gets plummets.
Should I Start Dallas Goedert for Fantasy Football?
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert was targeted just eight total times in his last two games. He's just the third priority in his team's passing game after wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith (hamstring). It's difficult for him to be a trustworthy starter in fantasy lineups when both the team's top two wideouts are on the field.
Dallas Goedert has a favorable matchup vs. the Rams defense
Goedert ranks 4th among TEs in receiving yards per game this season. That production should continue against a Los Angeles defense that ranks 25th in yards allowed per game to opposing TEs. pic.twitter.com/y6A4uvLDFS
— PFF PHI Eagles (@PFF_Eagles) November 21, 2024
He has a somewhat soft matchup, so he should be a good player to start in leagues with 12 or more teams, especially if Smith isn't able to go, and there's a chance Smith won't play due to a hamstring injury. If that's the case, Goedert becomes a must-start TE in all leagues.
Should I Start Dalton Schultz for Fantasy Football?
No. He's seen elevated targets over the last seven games, but those should evaporate once WR Nico Collins returns to his normal playing time. Collins played in his first game back in Week 11 after a hamstring injury forced him to miss most of seven games. Schultz should see fewer targets moving forward.
Hate to nit pick but TE Dalton Schultz has the worst contract on the Texans and has proven be a limited contributor
Schultz has been getting exposed as a:
•Poor blocker
•Poor separator
•Missing speed to get overtop
•Stiff hips to get lateral pic.twitter.com/4bKxQg3n5X— Drew (@IndepthTexans) November 21, 2024
He's the TE24 and managed all of zero games with double-digit PPR fantasy points.
Should I Start Zach Ertz for Fantasy Football?
Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz has enjoyed elevated targets over the past few games but for a different reason than Schultz. Ertz's quarterback, Jayden Daniels, appears to still be dealing with a rib injury, as he was seen wincing on many of his throws and missing on passes he normally makes.
shoutout the 14.5% of people that started Zach Ertz pic.twitter.com/3QuxKtVEKx
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) November 15, 2024
Ertz hasn't produced much out of his targets, outside of garbage time. Daniels seems to be eschewing deep passes for more intermediate throws, which typically benefit tight ends. The 34-year-old vet should be started in all leagues as long as his targets keep their current pace, though.
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