Fantasy Football Week 12 Tight End Who Should I Start? Mark Andrews, Hunter Henry, Juwan Johnson, and More

It's hard to let go of big names in fantasy football. Running backs and wide receivers generally age out a little quicker, but some guys stick around longer at quarterback and tight end, where they don't need ace-level athleticism to excel.

A guy like Travis Kelce keeps producing at TE even after losing an obvious step from his peak, though apparently, we won't stop clamoring for his retirement until it finally happens. Mark Andrews is another veteran tight end with more name recognition than fantasy production this year, as the venerable tight end has very modest stats outside of a few games.

That has Andrews all over the FantasySP start/sit tool, as fantasy owners try to find the middle ground between his potential and what he has shown so far, which has left us wanting more.

Let's look at Andrews and four tight ends who he has been compared to often on the 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.

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Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Jets

Andrews' one complete performance came in Week 3, when he caught six passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions. He had seven catches the following week but gained just 30 yards; when Andrews scored two touchdowns against the Dolphins, they were his only two catches and gained 22 yards.

Everything other than Week 3 has been either a weak fantasy performance or a day that was saved by touchdowns, not a good way to score consistent fantasy points. I expect more of the same moving forward, with Andrews needing to find the end zone to be relevant in fantasy.

The Jets are right in the middle in both yards per pass attempt allowed and fantasy points given up to tight ends. This is about as average a matchup as a player could ask for. Add Andrews' underwhelming play, and I don't love his outlook in Week 12.

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots @ Cincinnati Bengals

Henry is the best streamer of Week 12. The Bengals have given up by far the most fantasy points per game to tight ends, and they have also allowed the third-most yards per pass attempt. Quarterback Drake Maye could be in line for a huge game, and Henry is a likely beneficiary given Cincinnati's struggles against tight ends.

Henry is averaging around three catches and 38 yards per game, which matches his career work. He has also scored four touchdowns, all coming together to put him inside the top 13 fantasy tight ends in both standard and PPR (though he hasn't had his bye). Henry is a great streaming option here.

Advice: Start Hunter Henry over Mark Andrews.

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons

Johnson stays involved in the offense in part because his team is short on pass catchers and playmakers. Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau have only been lightly involved since returning from injury, and after Rashid Shaheed was traded, Chris Olave is the only wide receiver of note on the team. Johnson will see targets by default if nothing else.

This is a tough matchup, as the Falcons have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends. Through the first month-plus of the season, Atlanta was very strong against the pass, but they have fallen on the wrong side of things lately, now allowing the eighth-most yards per pass attempt. They have been a little worse against TEs in that time too, though they are still successful against the position overall.

Advice: Start Mark Andrews over Juwan Johnson. I'm not excited about counting on New Orleans' offense; I'll stick with the guy playing in a high-powered attack.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Los Angeles Rams

Otton has had a chance to get involved because of injuries to Tampa Bay's receivers. Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan are among guys who have missed most (or all) of the season, leaving rookie Emeka Egbuka leading the way and Otton as a supporting player. He hasn't had big performances often, but Otton is worth consideration as a streamer.

The matchup here is against him, as the Rams have given up the sixth-fewest yards per pass attempt, though they are right in the middle in terms of fantasy points given up to tight ends. LA has a very good defense that has them on a championship track as much as the offense, making them a risky team to target most weeks.

Advice: Start Mark Andrews over Cade Otton. Otton just isn't a strong fantasy player, so against a tougher matchup, I'm not counting on him to do much.

Kyle Pitts Sr., Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints

Pitts has averaged 4.7 receptions and 43.4 yards per game. He has only scored one touchdown, hurting his fantasy value, but Pitts has gotten some low-impact volume, making him an OK PPR player. We can't hope for much more, especially as Atlanta has had a low-level passing game.

New Orleans has allowed the ninth-most yards per pass attempt, and they sit right in the middle in fantasy points given up to tight ends. They present a middling matchup, maybe a hair better, so it's reasonable to consider Pitts in this situation.

Advice: Start Mark Andrews over Kyle Pitts. Andrews plays in the better offense, so when both players are at a similar level and the matchups are close to the same, I prefer the guy with a better chance at getting into the end zone. Pitts has extra PPR appeal.