Week 14 Fantasy Football Tight End Start/Sit: T.J. Hockenson, Dallas Goedert, Cade Otton and More

It sucks to have an injury at any position, but that’s especially true at tight end, where there are a limited number of guys who can make a real difference. When one of the few outlier players, Taysom Hill, was lost for the season last week, it took away not just one of the most unique players in the league but also one of the few tight ends you could consider starting every week.

With six teams on bye this week (the last byes of the season), options are even slimmer, especially since Mark Andrews, Zach Ertz, Hunter Henry, and Dalton Schultz are among those sitting out. Tight end might be the toughest play for fantasy owners this week, making it maybe the most important decision if you’re fighting for a playoff spot.

Let’s look at three tight ends to start and three to sit in Week 14. I used stats from NFL.com and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings to determine the best and worst matchups. I will reference those numbers often.

Start

Will Dissly, Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs were playing good defense most of the season until recently. After letting Bryce Young throw for 263 yards and a touchdown in Week 12, Kansas City hosted the Raiders on Black Friday and allowed 340 passing yards to Aidan O'Connell on 9.7 yards per attempt.

Even when the defense was playing well, they were still struggling to stop tight ends from producing. The Chiefs have given up the second-most fantasy points per game to TEs, an issue since Week 1.

Dissly is second on the Chargers in receptions (41), and only the injured J.K. Dobbins is within 17 catches of the tight end. (Ladd McConkey leads the team in every receiving category aside from touchdowns, and it’s not even close.)  It’s a low-volume attack, leaving Dissly as a low-end fantasy option.

With the matchup in his favor, though, Dissly might be worth a spot in someone’s lineup. This is a streamer play for the owner without a tight end in Week 14.

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers

Goedert’s name is a little bigger than his production over the past few years, but he still puts together good fantasy weeks. A touchdown saved his fantasy score last week, as Goedert had just three catches for 35 yards and that touchdown.

The matchup is in his favor to have a bigger day here and maybe find the end zone again. Carolina has allowed the ninth-most yards per pass attempt and fourth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends.

Goedert is a strong play at tight end this week. (Fun fact: I went to college with Goedert’s older sister in Valley City, North Dakota. We weren’t friends, but we ended up at a lot of the same parties; it was a small school.)

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Otton had a strong stretch in the middle of the season, particularly when Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were both out. He’s been quieter over the past three games, topping out at 35 yards, though he did catch 10 passes in that time.

A bigger day might be in store this week: though the Raiders are around average in yards per pass attempt allowed, they have given up the third-most fantasy points per game to tight ends.

Otton is a mid- to high-level tight end option this week. Vegas is on the way down, and the Bucs can take the division lead with a win and a Falcons loss to Minnesota. Tampa could take their first step toward the playoffs with help from their tight end.

Sit

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings vs. Atlanta Falcons

Hockenson has alternated big games and quiet games since making his season debut five weeks ago. He had three or less catches and fewer than 30 yards in three games, and in the other two he combined for 15 catches and 186 yards.

He’s likely still working his way to full strength after suffering a major knee injury late last season, and it’s tough to trust Hockenson to produce every week the way he did the past few years. The matchup dictates a lot of Hockenson’s fantasy value right now.

Atlanta poses a tough test, as they have allowed the 10th-least yards per pass attempt and eighth-least fantasy points per game to tight ends. While we know what Hockenson’s ceiling looks like, this isn’t a week to expect them to reach it, leaving him as a middling or worse fantasy option.

Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49ers

Kmet is another guy who hasn’t found consistency this season, registering 50 or more yards four times but less than 30 yards in six games. He’s scored three TDs, but those all came against the Colts and Jaguars, two of the worst pass defenses in football (particularly against tight ends).

San Fran is a dog on defense, though, allowing the seventh-fewest yards per pass attempt and fourth-least fantasy points per game to tight ends. Linebacker is one of the strongest positions on the 49er defense, the guys who often match up with tight ends. Kmet is likely to struggle to find space.

That goes for the whole Chicago passing game; they might have a rough go of it. Kmet should be skipped this week unless you’re without other options.

Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions

Thursday night’s game should be a fun one: Detroit and Green Bay are separated by two games at the top of the NFC North with the Vikings between them. It will be a fast and furious finish to the season for those three teams.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Kraft has mixed in a few big games with more underwhelming performances in 2024. It’s a common story among NFL tight ends. He is coming off a game in which he caught six passes for 78 yards on Thanksgiving.

Detroit’s defense has made them maybe the Super Bowl favorites. The offense was great last year, but the D let them down at times. Both sides are keeping up their end of the deal this season, and the Lions have allowed the eighth-least yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends.

Kraft is a guy to skip this week due to the matchup. Detroit is likely to hold him to a quiet game.