Fantasy Football Wild Card Weekend Tight End Start/Sit: George Kittle, Colston Loveland, and More

Tight end falls somewhere in the middle as a fantasy football position. The scoring is much lower than at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, but the position is also usually more important than kicker or defense, where fantasy scores are much more in line.

When we get to the postseason, and most owners are playing DFS, we can focus more on the cream of the crop, which elevates TE from a fantasy perspective. Guys like George Kittle and Trey McBride (if he ever makes the playoffs again) can score on par with those other positions, so owners have to decide between almost ignoring the position, as some do most of the year, and spending big on a guy with a higher ceiling.

Let's look at four tight ends worth considering for your lineup and four who are probably better left on the bench in the Wild Card Round. The guys who aren't listed below are either somewhere in the middle or too lowly to necessitate inclusion. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Use FantasySP's weekly projections to compare players and help make your toughest lineup decisions each week!

Start

Great Player, Tough Matchup

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles

Kittle's season was offset by injuries, as he left Week 1 in the first half and didn't return until Week 7; he also missed Week 17 after leaving the previous game early. He still finished within the top 13 TEs in both standard and PPR and averaged the second-most fantasy points per game at the position behind Trey McBride.

Philadelphia poses the real issue here, as they gave up the sixth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points to tight ends this season. The position averaged less than four receptions and 30 yards per game with just four touchdowns all season.

Kittle is a different animal, and he's always a threat to find the end zone multiple times. If you're playing DFS and can pick any player, though, taking the San Francisco tight end at the most expensive price might not be the best plan. There is uncertainty around his obvious upside.

Good Player, Tough Matchup

Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers

Here, we have a lesser player who has not quite as tough of a matchup, giving a similar outlook to Kittle. Loveland came on as his rookie season went along: in 10 games from the beginning of November to the end of the season, Loveland averaged 4.7 receptions and 59.7 yards per game while scoring all six of his touchdowns.

That's an arbitrary endpoint, but it tells the story of a rookie who was adjusting to the league and finally got comfortable enough to show why he was a top-10 pick in the spring. Loveland has a bright future.

The Packers allowed the fifth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends this year. Loveland had modest outings in the two games that these teams played during the season, first catching four passes for 29 yards and a touchdown, then turning three receptions into 30 yards.

Without that TD, those are poor standard fantasy games and OK PPR games. Those two contests against Green Bay were two of just three in the final 10 games in which Loveland didn't reach 40 yards. There is risk involved here with the upside to the young tight end.

Decent Outlook

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers

Through the first 17 weeks, Goedert ranked as fantasy TE2 in standard and TE6 in PPR (he sat out Week 18). His per-game numbers were modest: four catches and 39.4 yards. Where he really did his fantasy damage was in the end zone.

Goedert scored 11 touchdowns in 15 games after previously never topping five TDs. He found the end zone once every 5.5 receptions when his career rate is once every 11.7, even factoring in this outlier season. Goedert won't continue to score twice as often as he has throughout his career.

The 49ers were right in the middle in yards per pass attempt allowed, but they gave up the ninth-most fantasy points to tight ends in 2025. The position averaged close to six receptions and 57 yards per game with 10 touchdowns.

San Francisco's defensive performance was close to Goedert's on offense in that the end zone was the main source of fantasy production. Touchdowns are random, so even for a guy who kept scoring all year, there is a risk that it will go away. That holds down Goedert's value a little despite his fantasy standing.

Matchup of the Week

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh gave up the 11th-most yards per pass attempt and the fourth-most fantasy points to TEs. When the playoffs start, most of the good matchups go away; we're talking about the best of the best teams (mostly). For a matchup like this to exist makes Schultz an uber-intriguing player this week, especially since he is a cheap DFS option.

Schultz finished with 82 catches (a career high) and 777 yards (second most in his career). Opposite of Goedert, Schultz suffered from a lack of touchdowns, as his three scores kept him at TE13 in standard and TE10 in PPR. He's a fine player to consider with the matchups.

And with the matchup as strong as could be considering the stage, Schultz is a good fantasy play this week. There is also a lower ceiling than with a guy like Kittle or even Goedert, but for those looking to be thrifty at tight end, Schultz is a strong option.

Sit

Bad Matchup

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Henry had a good season on a surprising Patriots team, catching 60 passes for 768 yards and seven touchdowns. That yardage total was a career high, and other two were just shy of his previous bests. He was a top-five standard TE and in the top 10 in PPR.

The Chargers are the issue here, as they gave up the eighth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. The position averaged modest numbers, with around four catches and 40 yards per game, and scored just six touchdowns.

Henry is a good fantasy player in the right situations, but this has the outlook of a slow game. You can find a better option among the players listed above.

Must-Sit Players

Each of our must-sit guys is both a middling-or-worse fantasy player and has a brutal matchup. There are a few others I'm leaving off because they aren't worth mentioning in a fantasy sense: Carolina's Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans, and Green Bay's Luke Musgrave and Josh Whyle.

Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Houston Texans

Darnell Washington is usually the third piece to this puzzle, but he suffered a broken arm late in the season and will miss this game. Connor Heyward got a little involved in Week 18, but it will mostly be Freiermuth and Smith handling the tight end work for Pittsburgh.

They are both lower-level statistical guys, and they might be facing the best defense in football. The Texans allowed the seventh-fewest yards per pass attempt and the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. That might not sound too bad, but Houston was brutal to teams all season.

You can find a better outlook than either of these guys possess. They will both be low-cost DFS players, but if you want to go that route, then Schultz is the better option.

Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills

Strange is a middling player, averaging around four catches and 45 yards per game this season with three touchdowns. He can find success at times and is reasonable for fantasy consideration in the right matchups.

This is not the right matchup. The Bills allowed the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the second-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. Buffalo and Philadelphia stand out as the best two tight end defenses in the playoffs; while the Eagles get a tough test in Kittle, the Bills get a guy in Strange who has a low floor and ceiling. Skip the Jacksonville tight end.