Fantasy Football Week 11 Tight End Start/Sit: Travis Kelce, Oronde Gadsden, and More

The fantasy football regular season is winding down. Most leagues start their postseason in Week 15, meaning we only have four weeks of matchups before that time. It might seem like there is still time to make your move before the final stretch, but that window is closing quickly.

At the tight end position, some owners have found their weekly starters by now, but others are still relying on matchups and/or trying to navigate injuries. It's a yearly problem at tight end: the demand for top-tier players outweighs the supply.

Let's look at three tight ends to start and three to sit in Week 11 of the NFL season. There won't be any obvious names below, like Trey McBride. Instead, we have six players who are good fantasy options some weeks and better left on the bench other times. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Use FantasySP's defensive rankings to find the players and teams with the best matchups each week.

Start

Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders @ Miami Dolphins

Jayden Daniels will miss a few games after suffering an elbow injury, but it was relatively good news as far as injuries are concerned, and he is expected back this season. In the meantime, Washington's passing game takes a hit, as they will be starting backup Marcus Mariota.

Mariota is a fine backup, but he doesn't have the same upside as Daniels and leaves every pass catcher with a lower ceiling. In the four games in which Daniels didn't play, Ertz averaged 3.3 receptions and 32.3 yards without scoring any touchdowns. In the six games where Daniels started, Ertz had 3.7 catches and 36 yards while getting into the end zone four times.

There's not a big difference there. Ertz scored more with Daniels, but that's probably because Washington's offense is better overall with their top QB, and they get more chances to score; it also has a lot of randomness to it.

The Dolphins have given up the sixth-most yards per pass attempt and the third-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. Miami has let opposing TEs average 6.3 receptions, 71.4 yards per with seven touchdowns in 10 contests. This is one of the most vulnerable defenses in the league to the position.

Ertz is a lower-level streamer, but the matchup is heavily in his favor; he is a positive fantasy player in Week 11. This game is early on Sunday because it is being played in Spain, so make your lineup changes before Sunday morning.

Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers @ Jacksonville Jaguars

LA's top three receivers, Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen, and Quentin Johnston, have all been involved in the passing game, each topping 500 yards with at least four touchdowns. Gadsden has been that next guy, ranking fourth on the team in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns.

He will always have to fight for targets with those guys, but Gadsden has been a strong fantasy player, ranking in the top 16 among tight ends in both standard and PPR despite not playing the first two games and leaving last week early with an injury. Between Weeks 3 and 9 (when Gadsden played full games), he was inside the top 10 in both formats.

Jacksonville is right in the middle in terms of yards per pass attempt allowed, but they have been susceptible to tight ends all season, giving up the second-most fantasy points per game to the position. TEs average close to seven catches and 75 yards against the Jags with seven touchdowns in nine games.

The injury Gadsden suffered last week was just a thigh bruise, and he is good to go for this game. With the matchup so heavily in his favor, a guy who has found a lot of success when on the field is in position for a good game.

Jonnu Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals

And here's the best tight end matchup of the week. At certain positions, we can look to attack a certain team or two immediately every week. At tight end, that team is Cincinnati. The Bengals have allowed the fifth-most yards per pass attempt and the most fantasy points to TEs, and the latter number isn't even close.

Opposing tight end groups have averaged 6.8 receptions and 80.2 yards per game while scoring a whopping 12 touchdowns in nine games against Cincy. This is THE team to go after with this position.

The question is which player on the Steelers is the one to grab. Smith, Pat Freiermuth, and Darnell Washington all get on the field for more than one-third of the snaps each week, and Smith leads the group in field time. He also leads the TEs in targets and receptions, though Freiermuth has more yards and touchdowns.

Both Smith and Freiermuth have streaming value here, but I'll give Smith the slight advantage because he plays more and has gotten a little more volume, though Freiermuth is only eight targets and four receptions behind. Expect big things from the Pittsburgh tight end spot this week, but it could be split between multiple guys.

Sit

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos

This is a tough one, as many owners see Kelce as a must-start player due to his name recognition. He ranks as TE5 in both standard and PPR scoring, showing that he still belongs among the fantasy starters. He just might not be a must-start player anymore.

Kelce is at least tied for the lead on Kansas City in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, though his three touchdowns are one short of the top mark. He is on pace for around 77 catches and 1,020 yards; the former number would be his lowest since 2015, though the latter would actually be an improvement of the past two seasons (but short of his prime).

The matchup is the real problem here, as the Broncos have given up the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the eighth-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. Last week against the Raiders, they allowed just one catch to Brock Bowers of the Raiders (though it went for 31 yards). Denver is a brutal matchup in the passing game, as good as any other defense.

Some owners won't bench him, but there's risk here in playing Kelce. If you have another option, it's probably best to see if there's a better outlook.

Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans

Okonkwo is just a low-level fantasy player anyway, but we'll list him here both because we don't have a lot of great options for this spot and because the Texans are just that good. I mentioned that Denver might have the best defense in the league, and if they don't, Houston could be the ones that fill that slot.

The Texans have allowed the second-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. Houston has also allowed the fewest points per game, just 16.7.

Okonkwo should only be considered in the best matchups. He averages just over three catches and 30 yards per game, and he hasn't gotten into the end zone yet, leaving Okonkwo far below the level of the fantasy starters.

We don't need to waste a lot of time here; this is a low-level fantasy player going against one of the best defenses in football, and Okonkwo is also dealing with an injury. Bench the tight end and consider benching any other Tennessee player you might have on your roster.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Buffalo Bills

Otton started the season anonymously, getting shut out in two of the first three weeks and combining for just 34 receiving yards in the first four games. He has been much better in the five games since then, averaging close to six receptions and 65 yards per game, though he hasn't scored a touchdown.

That makes him a fair player who can be considered as a low-to-mid-level streamer in the right matchups, but things are against him in this one. Buffalo is a little better than average in yards per pass attempt allowed, and they have given up the fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends, regularly holding down the position.

TE groups are averaging fewer than three catches and 30 yards per game against the Bills while scoring just one touchdown all season. Kelce and the Chiefs are the only ones to top 50 yards in any game.

Otton is a fine player to consider, but the matchup must be in his favor. That's the opposite of the case in this one, and it's better to leave the Tampa Bay tight end on your bench.