Fantasy Football Week 7 Tight End Who Should I Start? George Kittle, Dallas Goedert, and More
Comparing George Kittle to five tight ends who he has been matched up with often on the FantasySP start/sit tool.
George Kittle has been out since midway through Week 1 with a hamstring injury. He is returning for Week 7, a welcome sight for the 49ers who have dealt with as many injuries as anyone else in football.
With Kittle's return, fantasy owners have been actively trying to determine his spot among the tight end hierarchy this week. He has been all over our FantasySP start/sit tool.
Let's look at Kittle and five tight ends who he has been matched up with often on the FantasySP start/sit tool. We'll do a head-to-head quick-hit exercise to determine the best starter in each situation. Most stats are from NFL.com.
Use FantasySP's Who Should I Start? tool to compare players and help make your toughest lineup decisions each week.
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons
Kittle is a weekly starter, so the initial reaction is just to throw him right into your lineup. I understand every owner who starts Kittle and doesn't think twice about it.
The matchup is about as tough as could be, though, as the Falcons have allowed the second-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points to tight ends. They have allowed less than two receptions and 20 yards per game with just one touchdown to the position.
They haven't faced many high-level players: Cade Otton, T.J. Hockenson, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Zach Ertz, and Dawson Knox top out as middling in 2025. Atlanta has shut down passing games overall, though, so it's tough to expect big things.
San Francisco throws a lot, and Kittle is a top-line player, but the matchup is a tough one here, so it's worth looking over your options with Kittle.
Harold Fannin, Cleveland Browns vs. Miami Dolphins
Fannin is one of only a few skill players on the Browns who can make a difference. David Njoku is out this week, opening even more targets for Fannin. This has the chance to turn into a big volume game for the Cleveland tight end.
The Dolphins offer one of the best matchups around, allowing the fourth-most yards per pass attempt and sixth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. Miami is vulnerable to every position in fantasy, and tight end happens to be one of the best in Cleveland, making Fannin the main guy to look at here.
Advice: Start Harold Fannin over George Kittle. The matchups are polar opposites, bringing Fannin up to a level right near Kittle. It's risky to sit the San Francisco superstar, but Fannin could be poised for a big day.
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders
Ferguson has been the king of volume this season, catching 44 passes but gaining just 305 yards. His four touchdowns are a nice fantasy boost, helping to make Ferguson TE1 in PPR scoring and TE2 in standard.
The Commanders have given up the third-most yards per pass attempt, but they are actually a little better than average against tight ends in fantasy. A few better players have found success, like Tucker Kraft and Kyle Pitts Sr., but Washington has been better against lesser performers.
Advice: Start Jake Ferguson over George Kittle. This is another case of volume winning over efficiency, and the matchup is better than it might seem, as the Commanders have been torn apart by the pass. Ferguson is heavily involved in the Cowboys passing game, though the return of CeeDee Lamb could muddy things.
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles @ Minnesota Vikings
Goedert has been a little inconsistent, but he keeps finding the end zone, making him a fantasy darling (he's among the top five tight ends in both standard and PPR despite missing one game). His fantasy performance will suffer when the touchdowns stop, but that hasn't been an issue so far, as Goedert has five TDs in five games.
The Vikings offer a tougher matchup, allowing the sixth-fewest yards per pass attempt, though they are another team right in the middle in fantasy points allowed to tight ends. Volume without much yardage is part of that worse fantasy performance, as Cincinnati tight ends had nine catches for 58 yards, and Cleveland tight ends had 10 catches for 80 yards against the Vikings.
Advice: Start George Kittle over Dallas Goedert. They both have tougher matchups, so I'll go with the better player, even though the team he's facing might be better defensively.
Mason Taylor, New York Jets vs. Carolina Panthers
Taylor had a stretch of decent games from Weeks 3 through 5, averaging six catches and 50 yards per game. He had exactly one catch in each of the other three games and still hasn't gotten into the end zone, making Taylor a low-level fantasy player.
Carolina is right in the middle in yards per pass attempt allowed, but they have given up the third-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. That comes from both volume and touchdowns, as TEs are averaging 74 yards on more than six catches per game with four scores.
Advice: Start George Kittle over Mason Taylor. Even though Taylor has the better matchup, he's just not close to the level of Kittle as a fantasy player. The star is better with a tough opponent.
Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts @ Los Angeles Chargers
Speaking of stars with tough matchups, let's finish with Warren, who faces a Chargers team that has given up the third-fewest yards per pass attempt and the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends.
The position is averaging less than four catches and 35 yards per game, though they have gotten into the end zone three times. Even though the Chargers went on a bit of a cold streak before bouncing back against the moribund Dolphins, they still have a very good defense that will often be the strength of the team.
Warren keeps producing, reaching five receptions and/or 50 yards in four of six games. He finally got into the end zone in each of the past two games, something that has helped him to a TE1 standing in standard scoring and TE2 in PPR. Warren has officially taken the mantle of the next great rookie tight end.
Advice: This is a tough one because we have two weekly starters who both have tough matchups. I'll say to start Tyler Warren over George Kittle because Kittle has a little bit worse matchup and because he's just returning from an injury and brings a little risk, but it's close.
