Fantasy Football Week 13 Tight End Start/Sit: Juwan Johnson, Zach Ertz, and More

If you don't have one of the weekly fantasy starters at tight end, you have likely already been streaming all season. Some owners will grab a middling guy and throw him into their lineup every week, but in an era of informed fantasy players, there is much more shuffling at the lesser fantasy positions.

Along with that comes more variety in who is worth considering on any given week. There are more functional running backs and wide receivers, but we don't often dip into the lowest level of guys at those positions. We dig into a higher percentage of starting tight ends simply because there aren't enough weekly starters.

Let's look at three tight ends to start and three to sit in Week 13 of the NFL season. There won't be any obvious names below, like Brock Bowers. Instead, we have six guys who are good fantasy options some weeks but better left on the bench other times. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Use FantasySP's weekly projections to find the players expected to perform best and help make your toughest lineup decisions!

Start

Evan Engram, Denver Broncos @ Washington Commanders

Washington is the first team I look for when finding fantasy players in the passing game each week. The Commanders are allowing a full yard more per pass attempt than any other team; the second-place Bengals are the same distance from the Commanders as they are from the 23rd-ranked Eagles.

Engram hasn't had a major impact, averaging just 3.2 receptions and 26 yards per game with Denver. There were thoughts that he could be a major weapon in a Sean Payton offense given his former production, but that hasn't been the case.

Even with the great matchup, Engram has a low floor here. Quarterback Bo Nix is likely to have a big game, but the team's wide receivers (particularly Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin) are more likely to be the benefactors. Start Engram if you're in need, but this isn't a guaranteed success.

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints @ Miami Dolphins

Johnson is close to the last man standing in New Orleans. Rashid Shaheed was traded to Seattle at the deadline, Alvin Kamara has been dealing with an injury and will miss this game, and Chris Olave is questionable and might also sit out. That leaves the tight end as maybe their top playmaker against the Dolphins.

Miami has allowed the seventh-most yards per pass attempt and the third-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. The position is averaging around six receptions and 70 yards with seven touchdowns in 11 games against the Dolphins.

With a great matchup and not many players to fight for targets, Johnson is in position to have a successful Week 13. He has even more value in PPR, though he is still a good option in standard leagues also.

Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Okonkwo is another low-floor player, and he generally has a low ceiling as well. Tennessee has a low-level passing game, capping the value of any pass catcher on the team. Okonkwo is also questionable for this game, so if he were to sit out, Gunnar Helm is the next guy up who would also be a low-level streamer.

The matchup is what puts the Tennessee TEs here, as the Jaguars have given up the second-most fantasy points to tight ends. They have been much better against the pass overall, allowing the 10th-fewest yards per pass attempt, but this position has beaten up Jacksonville all season.

Like Engram against Washington, this is a case of a player with a very good outlook but also a guy who doesn't often put up many numbers. While there's plenty of risk to playing Okonkwo (or Helm), the matchup is right to give him fantasy value, which isn't always the case.

Sit

Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders vs. Denver Broncos

Jayden Daniels is still out with an elbow injury, and until he returns, Washington's pass catchers have a lower floor and ceiling. Marcus Mariota is a fine backup, but he doesn't have the same upside as Daniels, generally looking like a safer player with less explosion.

Even if the starting quarterback were under center, Ertz still wouldn't be a good fantasy player this week because of the negative matchup. The Broncos have one of the best pass defenses in football, allowing the sixth-fewest yards per pass attempt. They have given up the 12th-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends, not quite as dominant, but Denver isn't a team to test in fantasy.

A few teams have found success with their TEs, including Travis Kelce catching nine passes for 91 yards and a touchdown in Week 11. This isn't a hopeless situation, but I'm not excited about anyone on Washington's offense this week.

You can surely find a better option than Ertz on a week in which every team is playing; even the guys mentioned in the “Start” section with low floors have a better outlook. This is an easy call to leave Ertz on the bench.

Mason Taylor, New York Jets vs. Atlanta Falcons

Taylor isn't much of a fantasy player, but we're a little short on options for this spot, so we'll include him on the list in case you are intrigued by Atlanta's recent performance against the pass. After starting as one of the best pass defenses in the league by box-stat numbers, the Falcons have fallen off to a middling level, allowing the 12th-most yards per pass attempt.

They have been much better against tight ends, though, giving up the third-fewest fantasy points per game to the position. Tyler Warren of the Colts reached 99 yards, but no other TE has gone over 54 receiving yards (and even that was one 54-yard catch, not a consistent performance). Atlanta has also allowed just one tight end touchdown, back in Week 6.

Taylor is averaging around three catches and 27 yards per game with just one score; there's a low floor and ceiling here. He is also held down by New York's subpar passing game, so Taylor should only be considered in the best matchups. Bench him in this one.

Pittsburgh Steelers TEs vs. Buffalo Bills

We'll finish with a bit of a different one, as there is a triumvirate of tight ends that sees heavy snaps in Pittsburgh, and they all belong on fantasy benches in Week 13. It's tougher when trying to decide who to start out of Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth, and Darnell Washington; it's easy to tell you to just avoid them all.

The matchups here is a tough one, as the Bills have allowed the ninth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. Not only is Kelce the only tight end to reach 50 yards against Buffalo (he had 66 on four catches), but no other team has had their TEs even combine for 50 yards.

This is maybe the toughest tight end matchup around, leaving all three Pittsburgh tight ends on the wrong side of things this week. On top of hoping that any one player can succeed, you have to pick the right one; the odds are against you.

There's not a situation in which I can see Smith, Freiermuth, or Washington as a reasonable fantasy play. Even in the deepest of leagues, you can probably find better.