Fantasy Football Week 8 Tight End Start/Sit: Sam LaPorta, David Njoku, Trey McBride and More

There are no teams off on bye this week. It’s a rare chance to play your best lineup without random absences from your stars. Enjoy this time, though, because Pittsburgh and San Francisco are off next week before four teams are off in both Weeks 10 and 11.

Six teams are then off in Weeks 12 and 14 (everyone plays Week 13), and a lot of fantasy tight ends will be part of those bigger byes. Week 12 sees Kyle Pitts, Evan Engram, and Dalton Kincaid sitting out, and Week 14 has Hunter Henry, Zach Ertz, and the Baltimore TEs off.

While we have everybody, let’s look at three tight ends to start and three to sit in Week 8. I used NFL’s defensive passing stats and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings to determine which teams are best and worst to target. I will reference those numbers often.

Start

Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville might have the worst pass defense in the league. The Jags have given up the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, the fourth-most to wide receivers, and the sixth-most to both running backs and tight ends. They have also allowed the fifth-most yards per pass attempt.

Kraft had a tougher matchup last week against the Texans, but he managed to score a touchdown on three catches and 33 yards. Kraft has come on strong at a weak fantasy position. He has scored four touchdowns in the past four weeks and has separated himself from teammate Luke Musgrave.

Given Kraft’s emergence and Jacksonville’s giving ways, Kraft is a good fantasy option in Week 8.

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland has seen their starting lineup flipped upside down over the past week-plus, leaving Njoku as the only top option remaining from the start of the season. He might see a boost from Jameis Winston taking over at quarterback; things couldn’t get much worse than they were with Deshaun Watson under center.

Njoku had a big day in Week 7, catching 10 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. He won’t hit those numbers regularly, but Njoku is on the radar as a possible starter every week. With a more pass-friendly quarterback taking snaps, Njoku will be a factor.

This is a great matchup for the tight end, as the Ravens have given up the fifth-most fantasy points per game to the position and the second-most yards per pass attempt. Baltimore’s offense is great, but the defense could sink this team in the playoffs.

Njoku is a good starting option in Week 8. He won’t be a weekly star, but the opportunity and matchup here give Njoku a great outlook.

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts

Add the Colts to the list of teams that struggle stopping both the pass and tight ends. Indianapolis has allowed the eighth-most yards per pass attempt and third-most fantasy points per game to TEs.

Schultz hasn’t been heavily involved for Houston, twice hitting 34 yards but not topping 30 in any other game. He was better last season, and there’s a good chance he can put up better results in the second half of the season by pure luck if nothing else.

This is a good time to start, as the matchup is right, and receiver Nico Collins is still out with an injury. Schultz is a low-level streamer given his weak production, but this is a chance for the veteran tight end to have a better day.

Sit

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye finished as a top 10 fantasy quarterback each of the past two weeks, and Henry has benefitted from the change. He turned three receptions into 41 yards and a touchdown in Week 6, then last week he went off for eight catches and 92 yards.

Circumstances played a big part in New England’s pass production. The Patriots were losing the whole game against Houston in Week 6, so Maye threw 33 times trying to keep up. The matchup against Jacksonville in Week 7 was one of the best in the league, and Maye took advantage on 37 attempts as the team was losing the entire second half.

The Jets are a better defensive team and not as good on offense. New York is less likely to take a big lead, so the Pats might be able to limit their QB to something under 30 pass attempts. That would lower Henry’s chances of accumulating stats along with the bad matchup.

New York has allowed the eighth-least yards per pass attempt and eighth-least fantasy points per game to tight ends. It’s likely that Maye has a quieter day, leaving Henry less chances to produce big yards.

Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions vs. Tennessee Titans

LaPorta just keeps disappointing. He caught one pass for 25 yards last week, his second straight game with just one catch. Some big plays have made his numbers look a little better, but LaPorta hasn’t shown anything close to the consistency of 2023.

He now faces one of the best pass defenses this season, specifically against tight ends. The Titans have allowed the third-least yards per pass attempt and third-least fantasy points per game to tight ends. While the teams they’ve faced haven’t had great passing games, the Titans have done their job shutting down the pass.

Receiver Jameson Williams is likely going to miss a few weeks, and LaPorta could step into a bigger role, but it’s been a slow start for the tight end, and it’s hard to expect big things given the matchup.

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals @ Miami Dolphins

McBride owners probably aren’t considering benching him, and I get it. He’s a top 10 TE in every format after being drafted as a top five player at the position. Miami has been fantastic against tight ends, though, giving McBride a low floor in Week 8.

Miami has allowed the seventh-least yards per pass attempt and the third-least fantasy points per game to tight ends. Here are Miami’s performances against the position:

• Evan Engram Week 1: one catch, five yards
• Dalton Kincaid Week 2: four catches, 33 yards
• Chigoziem Okonkwo Week 4: one catch, five yards
• Hunter Henry Week 5: two catches, 32 yards
• Indianapolis tight ends Week 7: combined one catch, five yards

I conveniently left out Week 3, when Noah Fant of the Seahawks had six catches for 60 yards, but the Dolphins have otherwise dominated the position. McBride does have a higher ceiling than anyone else listed above.

The Arizona tight end is averaging 5.5 catches and 54 yards per game, though he hasn’t scored a touchdown. McBride averaged one touchdown per 27.5 receptions in his first two seasons, a rate that’s likely to improve. He has 33 receptions this season, which would usually produce one touchdown at his previous rate.

McBride will get in the end zone more often, but this isn’t the right week to expect him to start excelling.