Week 4 Fantasy Football Tight End Start/Sit: T.J. Hockenson, Juwan Johnson, and More

Tight end is a bit of a boom-or-bust position. Some teams have stars, like Brock Bowers or Trey McBride, but the big names and performances fall off faster than at any other position. By the time you get to the middle of the league, you're running into players you wouldn't want to trust in fantasy football any week.

That makes streaming tight ends tough if you're looking for top-line talent, but the players are all much more similar when looking at streamers than they are at other positions, making it less stressful to pick that middling guy. You're just filling a slot at that point.

Let's look at three tight ends to start and three to sit in Week 4 of the NFL season. There won't be any obvious names below; you don't need me to tell you to start McBride. Instead, we have six guys who are worth starting some weeks but not it others.

Check out FantasySP's projections to see which players are set for the biggest performances each week and help make your lineup decisions.

Start

Evan Engram, Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Engram missed Week 3 with a back injury, so it's important to verify his status before starting him this week. He also played fewer snaps than Adam Trautman in the first two games, something that lowers his fantasy value if it continues.

Engram is more of a straight receiving option, though, while Trautman does more of the dirty work, and Engram will generally run more routes and have better pass-catching opportunities. Even so, his stats from the first two weeks were disappointing after projections that he could do big things in a Sean Payton offense: four catches for 33 yards.

The matchup is what puts him here as a possible fantasy option. Cincinnati has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to tight ends while performing worse than average when defending the pass.

In Week 1, David Njoku and Harold Fannin combined for 10 catches and 100 yards against the Bengals. Last week, T.J. Hockenson caught five passes for 49 yards and a touchdown; each of those numbers beat his combined totals from the first two weeks. They were better in Week 2 against Brenton Strange, but the Bengals have been vulnerable to tight ends early.

There's a lot of risk around Engram, and he's more of a low-level streamer. This is for owners in deep leagues or those who are completely without an option and need to pick up someone with a positive matchup.

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Speaking of Hockenson, his first two games combined for just four receptions and 27 yards before Week 3's breakout of sorts. It's fair to wonder how much J.J. McCarthy is contributing to that, as he played below-average football before going on IR; maybe Carson Wentz will improve the tight end's outlook.

The matchup is the real star here. The Steelers have allowed the fourth-most yards per pass attempt and the second-most fantasy points to tight ends. Every fantasy position has value against Pittsburgh early in the season, as they have been surprisingly vulnerable to giving up yards and points.

After allowing 32 points to the Jets in Week 1 and 31 to the Seahawks in Week 2, Pittsburgh was able to hold the Patriots to just 14 points in Week 3. That also took both an interception and fumble in the end zone from New England and five turnovers overall; the Steelers weren't that good in the game.

With a tight end who has had success in the past and may have gotten a more favorable quarterback situation due to injury, a great matchup against Pittsburgh has me believing in his fantasy prospects. I understand being gun-shy after he was so bad for two weeks, but Hockenson is a decent option here.

Mason Taylor, New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins

Taylor has just six catches for 43 yards in his first three professional games. With Justin Fields as his quarterback, it was expected that the rookie would take time to develop into a regular contributor, both in real and fantasy football. The Jets' passing game is also somewhat one-dimensional: only Garrett Wilson has as many as 10 catches or 100 yards.

Taylor was seen as a field stretcher and a guy who would make an impact in the passing game once he got going. There is something there once he finds his footing, which may have started with a modest four catches for 18 yards in Week 3. Tyrod Taylor was under center for the Jets in that game, something that might help Mason Taylor's numbers.

Fields may be back for Week 4 after a concussion, but his status is still questionable. No matter who is in the game, though, this matchup points toward possible success on Monday night.

The Dolphins have allowed the third-most yards per pass attempt and the third-most fantasy points to tight ends through three weeks. Rookie Tyler Warren had seven catches and 76 yards against Miami in his first ever game, then both Dalton Kincaid and Spencer Hawes scored a touchdown in Week 3, combining for six catches and 71 yards (Week 2 was a better defensive performance).

Taylor is in the same boat as Engram as a riskier play who has a low floor and might not produce. This is a streaming option in deeper leagues or for those who are really just without other options. If nothing else, Taylor will get on the field a lot, and he has a great matchup.

Sit

Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders @ Atlanta Falcons

Ertz had a strong start to the season, catching 12 of 16 targets for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Jayden Daniels missed Week 3, and his status for Week 4 is still questionable, something that hurts Ertz's fantasy value a bit.

Marcus Mariota is a fine backup; he and Ertz connected on three passes for 38 yards. The Commanders also dominated the Raiders and didn't need to do much passing in the second half. Ertz is still a feasible option even with Mariota under center.

It's the matchup that puts him in this spot in Week 4, though, as the Falcons have been as good as any other team against this position. Atlanta has allowed the third-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points to tight ends. They shut out Cade Otton in Week 1, Hockenson had just one catch for 12 yards in Week 2, and Carolina's tight ends combined for four catches and 27 yards in Week 3; that's a trifecta of nothing.

While they might not finish the season as a top pass defense, Atlanta made moves to improve their defense in the offseason, so it's not a surprise to see them perform better in 2025. When they have shut down a position so thoroughly in three straight games, we have no choice but to take notice.

Ertz doesn't have a good outlook in Week 4. With uncertainty at quarterback and a defense that has completely shut down TEs, it's probably best to leave him on your bench this week.

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints @ Buffalo Bills

Johnson has been operating essentially as the WR2 for the Saints this season. Chris Olave is still the top guy on the outside, but New Orleans is short on pass catchers otherwise, and with Johnson as the only healthy and productive tight end, he has stepped right into a featured role in the offense, racking up 19 receptions for 176 yards and a touchdown.

Those are the type of numbers that would point to Johnson as a must-start player at his position; he's TE6 is standard scoring and TE2 in PPR. I can understand anyone who won't bench the sixth-year pro.

Again, the matchup is what puts him here. Buffalo has allowed the fifth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the second-fewest fantasy points to tight ends. The matchups haven't been too hard, with Taylor in Week 2 and the Miami duo of Tanner Conner and Julian Hill in Week 3, but the Bills did shut down Mark Andrews in Week 1, holding him to one catch for five yards.

Buffalo has had a very good defense for several years, so it's not a surprise to see them succeed again in 2025. They have been average or better against tight ends in fantasy dating back to 2021; this isn't new. It's best to proceed with caution at TE.

The volume is there to make Johnson an OK PPR option, but I'm skeptical of his upside this week. While some owners won't have a better option, most didn't draft Johnson as their top tight end, so there might be another path.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

I mentioned above that Otton didn't have any catches in Week 1 against Atlanta, who has kept dominating tight ends. He suffered the same fate in Week 3 against the Jets, a team that has struggled against the pass but has been more successful against tight ends.

With just three receptions for 25 yards in Week 2, Otton has been held down about as much as a player can be while playing 90% of the snaps. With Tampa dealing with wide receiver injuries, it would make sense for Otton to be more involved, but whether it's a new offensive coordinator, bad matchups, or just bad luck, the tight end has been anonymous.

With a player struggling to make an impact, the last thing I want to do is try him out against the Eagles. Philadelphia has allowed the 12th-fewest yards per pass attempt; that might not sound great, but they have allowed a well-below-average 5.7 yards per attempt (league average is usually close to 7.0), and Philly allowed the fewest yards per attempt last year.

They have also given up the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends after ranking third in the same category last season. This is an overall stout unit that I'm not excited to try any fantasy player against, let alone a tight end who hasn't made an impact.