Fantasy Football Week 2 Tight End Start/Sit Decisions: Harold Fannin Jr., Kyle Pitts Sr., and More
Comparing Harold Fannin Jr. to four tight ends he has been matched up with often on the FantasySP Who Should I Start? tool.
Harold Fannin Jr., tight end for the Cleveland Browns, had one of the most surprising performances of Week 1. The popular thought was that he would take some time to get on the field because of the presence of veteran David Njoku, but despite Njoku playing more snaps, Fannin led the way with seven catches for 63 yards (Njoku had three for 37).
It was only one game, so it's fair to question how real that performance was. Fantasy owners have been asking the same question, causing Fannin to show up often on our FantasySP start/sit tool.
Let's look at Fannin and four tight ends who have been compared to him often on the start/sit tool: Mark Andrews, Juwan Johnson, Travis Kelce, and Kyle Pitts Sr.
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Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens
Though Njoku is likely to play the most, there isn't a lot of pass-catching talent in Cleveland. The only skill players who played more snaps than Fannin's 55 were Njoku, Jerry Jeudy, and Cedric Tillman. Fanning had more targets and catches than any of them.
Baltimore gave up production to Buffalo's tight ends in Week 1: Dalton Kincaid had four catches for 48 yards and a touchdown, Dawson Knox had two catches for 20 yards, and even third TE Jackson Hawes had a reception for 29 yards. The Ravens were in the middle in terms of fantasy points allowed to tight ends last season.
Fannin has a decent matchup, so the question is whether you think he can keep getting volume with the veterans around him. I'm torn and hedging my bets, putting Fannin somewhere in the middle.
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns
Andrews is generally a must-start player, but there is a little cause for concern. First, Andrews was anonymous in Week 1, catching just one pass for five yards; Lamar Jackson only threw 19 passes in the game, lessening Andrews' chances of putting up numbers.
Cleveland also might have a really good defense. They held down Cincinnati in Week 1, allowing just 113 passing yards to Joe Burrow and just 46 total rushing yards. Tight end Noah Fant had four catches for 26 yards and a touchdown, and Mike Gesicki added one reception for 14 yards, modest numbers outside of the TD.
If this is a tougher matchup, Baltimore focuses on the run game again, and Andrews doesn't get volume, he might have another slow game. It's a risky proposition, especially because Isaiah Likely is out again, but it's worth at least considering benching Andrews if you have another option.
Advice: This is a tricky one. The safe play is going with Andrews, but I feel like Fannin could keep producing without a ton of weapons around him. I will also go safe and say to start Andrews.
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers
Johnson is another guy with a dearth of weapons around him that could lead to him seeing more volume. Fellow tight ends Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau are both out for at least three more games, leaving Johnson clearly at the top of the depth chart at his position. In Week 1, he had eight catches for 76 yards, leading the team in both.
Chris Olave has shown himself as a high-level receiver in the past, but he is coming off a down season, and there is more depth than impact behind Olave with Rashid Shaheed, Brandin Cooks, and Devaughn Vele. (Newly acquired receiver Ja'Lynn Polk is on IR and won't play this season.)
The matchup is the issue here. Last season, the 49ers allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to tight ends. In Week 1, Seattle TEs combined for just two catches and seven yards, as the whole passing game was shut down outside of Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Johnson also has a below-average quarterback in Spencer Rattler, so even though targets may be available, I'm not excited about trusting New Orleans' passing game in a tough matchup.
Advice: Start Harrold Fannin Jr. over Juwan Johnson
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles
As recently as last year, benching Kelce would never be an option. He was a superstar at the position, but his average catch has fallen greatly from 12.2 to 10.6 to 8.5 yards in the three seasons previous to this one, lowering his impact in the offense.
In Week 1, Kelce had just one catch for 10 yards through three quarters before getting loose for a wide open 37-yard touchdown catch. Kelce is likely to have more slow days moving forward. One of those might come in a tough Week 2 matchup with the Eagles.
Philadelphia gave up the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends last season. They held down Dallas tight end Jake Ferguson in Week 1: Ferguson caught five passes but only for 23 yards. The Eagles have one of the top defenses in the league and will be tough on all opponents.
This is a case of a declining player with a tough matchup. It might end up as a slow day for the Hall-of-Fame tight end, something that could become more of a problem moving forward.
Advice: Start Harold Fannin Jr. over Travis Kelce
Kyle Pitts Sr., Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings
After being little more than a meme for the past few months, Pitts finally got on the field in Week 1 and caught seven passes for 59 yards, the second-highest total of each for Atlanta. The Falcons threw the ball 42 times, surely more than they want to with a young quarterback and Bijan Robinson in the backfield.
With a lower volume will likely come lower stat lines too, so I'm not looking for Pitts to average seven catches per game; Drake London had eight and Robinson six, making a fight for targets. The matchup might also be tougher in this one than Week 1.
The Buccaneers allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to tight ends last season, but the Vikings were just outside the top 10 in least fantasy points allowed to the position. In Week 1, Minnesota gave up just three catches and 43 yards to the duo of Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland.
Pitts will have some better games, but this isn't a good matchup against a tough defense, so it's tough to expect big things out of the Atlanta tight end.
Advice: Start Harold Fannin Jr. over Kyle Pitts Sr.
