Start Evan Engram vs. Darren Waller vs. Sam LaPorta vs. Jonnu Smith vs. George Kittle | Fantasy Football Week 7 TE Start Decision
The tight end position remains a tough position for fantasy owners to figure out, so it makes sense that several of the top trending decisions on FantasySP’s “Who Should I Start?” tool are ones involving tight ends.
For this discussion, we’ll focus on Jacksonville Jaguars’ Evan Engram, who plays in the Thursday night contest. We’ll match him up against New York Giants’ Darren Waller, Detroit Lions’ Sam LaPorta, Atlanta Falcons’ Jonnu Smith and San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle. Let's get into it.
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Why You Should Start Evan Engram
Engram has been utilized pretty heavily in the Jaguars’ offense. He sits second on the team in targets (44).
Engram has caught 36 of the passes thrown his way for 301 yards, but still has not scored. He actually doesn’t have a red zone target to this point of the season. The tight end is third on the team in snaps played.
Wide receiver Zay Jones was one of four Jacksonville players to be ruled out already for Thursday’s contest against the New Orleans Saints, so Engram will remain involved in the offense this week. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is questionable, but has said he hopes to play. If he doesn't play, then I probably wouldn't want to start Engram.
Despite the tough matchup and lack of a touchdown yet, Engram is the eighth-ranked tight end in our week 7 projections.
Why You Should Start Darren Waller
Waller slots in one spot ahead of Engram in the projections for his matchup with the Washington Commanders.
Waller has been the Giants’ top pass catcher to this point in the season, but his overall numbers still leave a lot to be desired.
The veteran tight end has a team-leading 28 catches on 41 targets, going for 282 yards. He still hasn’t scored - only two players on the team have a touchdown reception this season. Waller has played the most snaps (346) of any skill player and has two grabs on three red zone targets.
The matchup against the Commanders’ defense is a decent one for Waller, as opposing tight ends are averaging 12 fantasy points a contest against them.
Waller could be heavily involved again on offense, as several players are banged up, including quarterback Daniel Jones. Last week with Tyrod Taylor leading the team instead of Jones, Waller tallied five grabs on seven targets for 43 yards.
Why You Should Start Sam LaPorta
Speaking of injuries, LaPorta is dealing with a calf injury. He played through the ailment last week and tallied four catches for 36 yards on 11 targets.
For the season, LaPorta has 29 catches on 42 targets, going for 325 yards and three scores. He’s been heavily involved and should be again this week if he plays as David Montgomery and the team’s running backs are banged up and will either be out or limited.
Detroit will be taking on the Baltimore Ravens this weekend. Baltimore’s defense is the best in the league in slowing opposing tight ends, with just six fantasy points allowed.
Despite the tough matchup and his injury, LaPorta is the third-ranked tight end in this week’s projections.
Why You Should Start Jonnu Smith
Smith has become one of the better fantasy tight ends despite fellow TE Kyle Pitts on the same team and field as him. This week, Pitts is ranked 11th in the projections, while Smith is 13th.
Smith had five targets a week ago, which was his lowest total in the last month. For the season, Smith has caught 25 of the 32 passes thrown his way for 282 yards and a touchdown. He’s got the second-most red zone receptions, catching three of the four thrown his way. Smith has only played 10 less snaps than Pitts, which ranks third on the team among the pass catchers.
Smith and the Falcons will be taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend. Tampa Bay’s defense is a bit better than average against tight ends, allowing nine fantasy points a game.
Why You Should Start George Kittle
It’s not often you’ll see a big name like Kittle mentioned with some of the other players in this discussion, but his inconsistent production has fantasy owners perplexed.
Kittle is the sixth-ranked tight end this week, and he will be going up against the Minnesota Vikings.
For the season, Kittle has caught 18 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns on 25 targets. All three of the scores were in one game, and he’s gotten just seven targets over the past three weeks.
One thing that could benefit Kittle is that wide receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Christian McCaffrey are banged up. They could play this week against Minnesota, but their workload might be limited a bit, and Kittle is a possible choice to pick up the slack.
It’s a decent matchup for Kittle, as Minnesota’s defense allows tight ends to score 12 fantasy points a contest.
Final Numbers and the Recommended Start
Since Engram is the first player in this discussion to play, we’ll focus on his numbers. To my surprise, Engram is the preferred starter over Kittle, Waller and Smith, with only LaPorta being started over him.
I’m not sure I understand the love for Engram this week, even though the numbers could change before kickoff. Engram hasn’t scored this season, has a banged-up quarterback throwing him the ball and is going against a top-end defense against tight ends. It seems like a recipe for disaster.
What makes less sense is that LaPorta is the tight end started over Engram. LaPorta has the hardest matchup of any tight end this week and is still dealing with an injury. Sure, he might be a big part of the gameplan, but I would think the matchup alone would scare people off from starting him.
My preferred choice among these players is actually Waller. While he’s had some down games, Waller has at least three receptions and 20 yards a contest. He’s a big part of the team’s passing game and is going up against an average defense, so I’ll take my chances with him.
Kittle would be my second choice of the group. I know he’s been inconsistent, but his matchup is average and it’s just not often that he’s slowed in back-to-back games.
The remaining three tight ends are all going against above-average defenses, so this is where things get tough for me. I’ll roll with the best-producing player of the group, and that’s LaPorta. He’ll be heavily involved this week, and that should help him put up respectable numbers even though he’s going against the top defense.
I’d take Engram over Smith this week. Engram simply has a higher usage in the passing game. He hasn’t scored, but he can still make enough grabs to outscore Smith. The Atlanta tight end is a solid play most weeks, but the matchup isn’t favorable this week and he’s still splitting looks with Pitts. I’d lean away from him if I could.
