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Matt's tight end (TE) fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 8 of 2026. His TE lineups advice for Week 8 fantasy football start/sit decisions.
Hunter Henry is just getting started, and if you’re still sleeping on the Patriots tight end, Week 8 might be the week that wakes you up. Four straight games with double-digit fantasy production, a growing connection with Drake Maye, and a Dolphins defense that struggles against tight ends? That’s the kind of matchup fantasy managers need to exploit.
But here’s the thing: fantasy football isn’t about blindly trusting the names on the back of the jersey. It’s about identifying the matchups that create opportunities and knowing when a big name is headed for a disappointing afternoon. This week, T.J. Hockenson and Dallas Goedert have reasons to climb your lineup rankings, while Sam LaPorta could be in for another frustrating outing.
And don’t let recent production fool you into thinking Colston Loveland is automatically matchup-proof. I’m breaking down the tight ends worth starting, the big names worth sitting, and the Week 8 matchups that could make or break your fantasy football lineup. Let’s get to it!
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Week 8 - Potential Fantasy Football Booms
Hunter Henry- TE, New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
Don’t look now, but Henry enters Week 8 of the fantasy football season as the TE9, with 67.6 fantasy points in six contests and a very healthy 9.7 fantasy points per game. It’s not the kind of production that will win you a matchup, but it can help you.
HUNT DAWG TD!!
@Hunter_Henry84 | @DrakeMaye2
📺 CBS https://t.co/jiNcK9d5Is
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 11, 2026
Against the Bears, Henry posted a strong stat line with solid underlying metrics, and because it’s Henry, or perhaps because the Patriots played on Thursday, it seems to have gone rather unnoticed. In that game against the Bears, Henry caught all seven targets for 71 yards, with a 71% route participation and 78% of snaps.
Henry was not only Maye's preferred target, but he's also produced in four straight games. That’s right, Henry has 10-plus fantasy points in each of the last four contests and is averaging 13.4 fantasy points over that period.
Against the Dolphins, Henry will look to keep that streak active as Miami is allowing the third-most fantasy points this season to opposing tight ends, including surrendering a pair of touchdown grabs last week to Mason Taylor.
T.J. Hockenson- TE, Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
Few teams in the league allow more fantasy production to opposing tight ends than the Dolphins. The Detroit Lions are one of them, which puts Hockenson on the map as a must-start option in Week 8.
A TD for T.J. Hockenson on National Tight Ends Day 😌
INDvsMIN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/E0aOAL9M10— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026
Against the Colts last week, Hockenson saw a 21% target share. If you remove the game in which Hockenson missed significant time with a concussion, the Vikings tight end has earned a 23.8% target share this season, making him an attractive streaming option.
Diving a little deeper into the numbers, while we are all aware of the four receptions on five targets for 35 receiving yards and a touchdown, the underlying metrics read as follows: 67% route share, 25% target share per route run, 1.75 yards per route run, along with an average depth of target of 8.6.
It’s no wonder Hockenson has produced 10 or more fantasy points in three of his last four games, and with a favorable matchup on the docket this week, there is no reason to believe he won’t continue his strong play.
Dallas Goedert- TE, Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders are the other team, along with the Lions, to allow more fantasy points to tight ends than the Dolphins this season. Even before Goedert and the Eagles face the Cowboys on Monday Night Football, I already had Goedert written up as a fantasy boom entering Week 8.
DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks each missed last week's game against the Cowboys, so their Week 8 status is a bit of a question mark. Still, given how ominous the Smith situation has become, he may not be ready for this contest, which means more volume could be headed Goedert's way.
In Goedert's last two contests, the Eagles tight end has been targeted on 17 occasions, catching 12 passes for 99 yards. While the efficiency leaves a little to be desired, the volume is something we can work with.
Heading into last week, Goedert trailed only Isaiah Likely, Brock Bowers, and Trey McBride in expected PPR fantasy points at the tight end positon during Weeks 5 and 6, with target shares of 24% and 18% in those two contests.
Week 8 - Potential Fantasy Football Busts
Sam LaPorta - TE, Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings
Plenty of people came after me last week after LaPorta and Likely made the “sit list,” and the pair combined for three receptions on six targets for 30 yards. I got plenty wrong last week, but I nailed that one, and I’m going right back on LaPorta this week.
First, LaPorta’s production isn’t great. I’m not sure whether that whole contract situation is playing a role, but this isn't the same LaPorta you drafted in August. It’s been so bad that even Jameson Williams is out targeting LaPorta. Now, you may think that’s not significant, but in 15 games they've shared the field, LaPorta has out-targeted Williams 10 times.
If that trend is changing, that’s a problem, and considering the Vikings are allowing fewer fantasy points than any other team this season to the tight end position, LaPorta could be a non-factor again.
Tyler Higbee - TE, Los Angeles Rams vs. Los Angeles Chargers
In what was supposedly a favorable spot for Tyler Higbee last week (Raiders), it didn’t work out for fantasy managers that took the chance to plug him into their lineups. With Davante Adams sidelined for an extended period, Higbee had the opportunity to capitalize on a great matchup, but finished with two receptions for 14 yards.
Colby Parkinson has more trips to the medical tent than Higbee had receptions, yet Parkinson still came away with five receptions for 48 yards. Meanwhile, the other tight end, Davis Allen, had four receptions and two touchdown grabs.
If Higbee can’t perform in an A-plus matchup, fantasy managers should downgrade him this week against the Chargers, who have been surprisingly stingy against the position. Los Angeles is allowing fewer than nine fantasy points per game to the position, and if the Rams continue to use a tight-end-by-committee approach, you really can’t trust any of them.
Colston Loveland - TE, Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks
Colston Loveland has now produced over 18.45 fantasy points in back-to-back games, hauling in 13 of 19 targets for 133 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Only McBride has averaged more fantasy points over the last two weeks than Loveland's 19.2, but it’s not enough to avoid this week’s “sit list."
Right back to Loveland, who muscles it in!
Bears score to open the 2nd half.
NEvsCHI on Prime Video
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/huW26QpwYn— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2026
Digging deeper into the analytics, Loveland's expected fantasy points have risen over the last three weeks from 8.4 to 14 to 20.7 last week. With great power comes great responsibility; lofty expectations often lead to disappointment.
If I put the overall TE1 on the list last week, no one is safe, and that includes Loveland, who appears to be back to the Loveland we thought we were getting in August drafts. I get it, you are going to start him, but against the Seahawks, the possibility of becoming a fantasy bust is very real.
Loveland's ceiling is capped in this matchup and could look similar to Travis Kelce last week, who caught four of eight targets for 44 yards. This season, Seattle ranks among the top-five fantasy defenses against opposing tight ends, holding the position to fewer than nine fantasy points per contest.
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