Fantasy Football Week 4 Tight End Start/Sit: Cole Kmet, Dallas Goedert, Mike Gesicki and More
Three tight ends to start and three to consider sitting in Week 4 of the NFL season.
If you drafted early at tight end this season, you’re probably lamenting that decision as you watch DK Metcalf and Chris Godwin, guys drafted around the same time as Travis Kelce and Sam LaPorta, sit sixth and seventh, respectively, in receiving yards.
The toughest position at which to find consistent production, the two guys who were argued as the cream of the crop are fighting to even get into the top 20 tight ends. Dallas Goedert, Brock Bowers, Cole Kmet, Isaiah Likely and Trey McBride make up the top five; only McBride was drafted among the top five at the position.
With fantasy points needed anywhere they can be found, let’s look at three tight ends to start and three to consider benching in Week 4. I used our FantasySP defensive rankings to determine which teams have been best and which have been worst against TEs through the first three weeks.
Start
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals @ Carolina Panthers
Gesicki has caught three or more passes in each game, topping out with seven receptions for 91 yards in Week 2. Gesicki had three seasons with over 50 catches and 500 yards; it appeared he was going to be a successful fantasy tight end for years.
A scheme change in Miami left him without fantasy value, and he finally looks to be back on the radar for the first time since 2021. Gesicki is second on the team in receptions and yards behind just Ja'Marr Chase.
Carolina had one of the most improbable moments of early 2024 when Andy Dalton made the Panthers’ offense look like the Best Show on Turf. The defense doesn’t look good, though, and that extends to their work against tight ends.
Tight ends have gained over 30 yards in all three weeks against the Panthers, and two of those teams went over 40 yards. Both Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson caught touchdown passes for the Saints in Week 1; Carolina is vulnerable to tight ends.
Gesicki is a worthy streamer this week. The matchup is right, and Gesicki has been part of the offense in all three games.
Hayden Hurst and Will Dissly, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
I was ready for the Chiefs to have a dynamite pass defense, just like last season. They lost L'Jarius Sneed, sure, but many of the impactful players were back, and a CB1 in Trent McDuffie was still on the roster.
They have been surprisingly sieve-like, though, allowing the eighth-most passing yards, though they are in the middle in yards per attempt allowed. Tight ends have been a big part of the problem, as KC has allowed the most fantasy points to tight ends, and it’s not even close.
Isaiah Likely had nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown in Week 1; Gesicki went for seven and 91. Kyle Pitts only had two catches last week, but he turned them into 59 yards. Tight ends have been able to regularly produce against the Chiefs.
Hurst has played close to 60% of the snaps while Dissly is at more like 50%, and they have both received seven targets. Hurst had more yards in Week 1 and Dissly more in Weeks 2 and 3. It’s hard to know who to trust in this duo.
If you’re desperate, though, the matchup is right, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see one of these guys get in the end zone. I prefer Hurst because he’s been on the field more, but it’s a 50/50 proposition.
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams have allowed the fifth-most passing yards and the most yards per attempt by nearly a full yard. Teams have been throwing all over the Rams, particularly Kyler Murray and Brock Purdy the past two weeks both going over 260 yards.
LA has allowed the third-most fantasy points to tight ends. Each team they faced had a tight end go over 40 yards, and all those guys averaged more than 10 yards per catch. The Rams are about as friendly to the passing game as any team in the league right now.
After the whole Chicago passing game disappeared in Week 1, Kmet bumped up to four catches in Week 2 before joining the pass party last week, totaling 10 receptions, 97 yards and a touchdown.
With Caleb Williams having his first big day (363 yards), he can keep the good times rolling with a great matchup in Week 4. Kmet is against set up to succeed against the Rams.
Sit
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This one is a little risky if Philly’s star receivers are out because Goedert would surely soak up targets. Tampa Bay’s work against tight ends is enough to predict a tough day for Goedert, though, even if a few more passes head his way.
Allowing nothing to the Broncos is no big feat, but the Bucs held Zach Ertz to 28 yards on three receptions in Week 1 and LaPorta to two catches and 13 yards in Week 2. They have been successful against tight ends all season.
Goedert has big numbers, but most of that came in Week 3 against the Saints. He combined for seven catches and 69 yards in the first two games; Goedert went off for 10 catches and 170 yards last week.
He’s been an inconsistent player in previous seasons as well, and this one has the makings of a rough go for Goedert.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots @ San Francisco 49ers
Henry was a hot commodity after a Week 2 binge: eight catches for 109 yards. In the other two games he has combined for four receptions and 27 yards, though, a performance that seems more likely on a regular basis than his big game.
The 49ers have held the tight ends of all three opponents to anonymous days:
- Week 1, Jets Tyler Conklin: 1 catch, 6 yards
- Week 2, Vikings Johnny Mundt: 2 catches, 12 yards
- Week 3, Rams Colby Parkinson: 3 catches, 21 yards
That’s not a fluke, either, as San Francisco has had great performances against tight ends since 2023. Their linebackers are some of the best in the game, though injuries threaten to test the depth.
Henry is likely to have another quiet day, especially without high-level quarterback play in New England. There will be weeks he has low-level streaming value, but this isn’t one of them.
Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins vs. Tennessee Titans
Like Henry, Smith had a good Week 2 while otherwise not being involved much in the offense. His big day wasn’t as explosive as Henry’s, though, as Smith topped out at six catches and 53 yards.
Cue the tough opponent, the lifeblood of the “Sit” player. Tennessee has held top tight ends to five catches and 41 yards, an OK single game spread over the span of three. Kmet, Conklin, Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave aren’t the ’27 Yankees, so to speak, but they’ve been held to nothing against the Titans.
Miami’s quarterback situation is also unsure, as Tua Tagovailoa is on IR and backup Skylar Thompson is questionable after suffering an injury of his own last week. Shorter passes might help the tight end with volume, but Smith is unlikely to get high-value targets.
Smith could easily be held to another one-catch day, as the Titans have done to other tight ends recently.
