Week 16 Fantasy Football Who Should I Start? Brenton Strange, Dalton Kincaid, Tucker Kraft and David Njoku

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange is all over our FantasySP “Who Should I Start?” tool, meaning fantasy owners are comparing him often to other tight ends when trying to decide who to start in Week 16.

Strange took over for veteran Evan Engram when the latter was placed on IR after Week 14. He was drafted near the end of the second round in 2023 with a similar profile to Engram as more of a receiving tight end than a blocker. That redundancy has led to a lack of time on the field, keeping him off the fantasy radar.

With Strange a hot topic heading into Sunday’s games, it makes sense to compare his outlook to other players being considered by owners. Let’s look at three tight ends in action on Sunday/Monday and how they stack up against Strange from a fantasy perspective.

I used stats from NFL.com and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings and will reference those numbers often. We’ll start with the second-year Jacksonville tight end, who has a good matchup against the Raiders. The full rankings for all four players are listed at the bottom.

Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars @ Las Vegas Raiders

Vegas is right around average in yards per pass attempt allowed, but they have given up the fourth-most fantasy points per game to TEs. This is a team trending toward a top-five pick in the draft. (As a Raiders fan, I am rooting for them to lose every game and get the best draft slot possible. And I have no shame in doing it.)

Their own tight end, Brock Bowers, has averaged about 6.4 receptions and 69.1 yards per game this year; the Raiders have given up 5.9 receptions and 64.9 yards to opposing tight ends. Las Vegas has let their opponents essentially replicate Bowers’ performance.

Strange had a big game last week against the Jets, his first since Engram went down. Strange caught 11 of 12 targets for 73 yards. That’s not great efficiency, but it’s a PPR dream, much like Engram was last year.

Strange previously worked in a starting capacity in Weeks 2-5 when Engram missed four games. He averaged three catches and 30 yards per game, modest numbers, but he also scored twice and hit 65 yards once.

Strange is a mid-level streamer this week. His big game with Mac Jones under center last week portends good things, and the matchup is right for another nice fantasy performance.

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots

Kincaid hasn’t lived up to lofty expectations set by some before the season (myself included). He is on pace to fall well short of his reception and yardage numbers from 2023, a major disappointment given the lack of a true WR1 in Buffalo most of the season. The former first-round pick may blossom into a top player at his position, but it didn’t happen in his second season.

The Patriots have allowed ninth-most yards per pass attempt and 11th-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. They are a top-10 matchup for the position, leaving Kincaid as a borderline fantasy starter.

Kincaid is a good option for anyone without a weekly starter at TE. His modest performance leaves him with a bit of a low ceiling, but his quarterback is an MVP candidate, and the matchup is in his favor.

I like Kincaid just a little more than Strange.

Fantasy Advice: Start Dalton Kincaid over Brenton Strange, but it’s close

Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints

Opposite of Kincaid, Kraft has blossomed in his second season. He was seen as a lower fantasy prospect than his teammate, Luke Musgrave, coming into the season; Musgrave has just five catches in four games while dealing with an ankle injury.

Kraft is averaging around three catches and 40 yards per game but has boosted his fantasy score by catching seven touchdown passes. He was TE6 in standard scoring and TE8 in PPR entering Week 16.

The Saints have allowed the 12th-most yards per pass attempt and 22nd-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. They offer a middling matchup that leaves Kraft as a middling fantasy option.

Kraft has a better ceiling than Strange, leaving him as a better fantasy option. His place as a top-10 fantasy player at his position will lead most owners to put him in the lineup.

Fantasy Advice: Start Tucker Kraft over Brenton Strange

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals

Njoku missed last week’s game with a hamstring injury and is listed as questionable for this one. Even if he is active, he is in danger of aggravating the injury and missing time during the game or even being ruled out.

Njoku is averaging 5.6 catches and 43.9 yards in his 10 games, having missed four already. He is experiencing a quarterback downgrade this week, though, as Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start in place of Jameis Winston (who is questionable to suit up).

DTR has limited experience, and he has averaged a putrid 3.7 yards per pass attempt with one touchdown and seven interceptions. Uff. Every Cleveland pass catcher has seen their value plummet with Thomas-Robinson’s insertion into the starting lineup.

The matchup is what makes Njoku interesting, as the Bengals have allowed the 13th-most yards per pass attempt and the most fantasy points per game to tight ends. Every tight end has fantasy value against Cincinnati; the negatives might offset that potential value, though.

With all the risk involved, Njoku isn’t a good play in the fantasy semi-finals (for many leagues). Strange is a better option.

Fantasy Advice: Start Brenton Strange over David Njoku

Full Player Rankings

1. Tucker Kraft, GB
2. Dalton Kincaid, BUF
3. Brenton Strange, JAC
4. David Njoku, CLE