Fantasy Football Week 9 Tight End Start/Sit: Kincaid, Fannin, and More

I've talked this week about the byes being in our favor, and that extends to the tight end position. Only two teams are off this week, Pittsburgh and Tennessee. While Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington have a little intrigue at times, the Titans don't offer anything at the position, making this a week in which we are essentially full strength at TE.

Let's look at three tight ends to start and three to sit in Week 9 of the NFL season. Most stats are from NFL.com, and fantasy points and rankings are from FantasyPros.

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Start

AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals

Seattle doesn't throw to their tight end much. Barner is second on the team in receptions and third in receiving yards, but that's because the Seahawks don't get much out of anyone except for Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Barner is averaging just 2.6 catches and 25.4 yards per game.

The reason for mentioning him here is because of the matchup. Arizona has allowed the most yards per pass attempt and the eighth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends this season. They shut down the position the last two weeks against Denver and Dallas, but prior to that, the Cardinals had only held one team's TEs below 53 yards (and four teams had at least 77 yards).

There is a low floor in this one. Barner will be playing with Drew Lock instead of Sam Darnold, and when Lock started against these same Cardinals in Week 2, Barner only had one catch for eight yards, though he scored a rushing touchdown on a Tush Push. Barner gets a little extra value because that Tush Push play probably still puts him under center, but he isn't a great statistical player and is only a low-level streamer even with a good matchup.

Greg Dulcich, Miami Dolphins vs. Detroit Lions

Dulcich is having his best stretch of the season, having caught at least four passes for at least 37 yards in each of his past three games (with Miami's bye mixed into that stretch). That included 86 yards on five catches against the Jets in Week 7, and though Dulcich hasn't caught a touchdown, he has at least been involved in a low-volume passing game.

The matchup is what gives him a little fantasy intrigue in this one, as the Lions have given up by far the most fantasy points per game to tight ends. They are just a little worse than average in terms of yards per pass attempt allowed, but Detroit has allowed at least 56 TE receiving yards in every game and a touchdown to the position in all but one game. Tight end groups are averaging 8.7 catches, 97.7 yards, and 1.6 TDs per game against the Lions.

Dulcich is another lower-level streamer, but I like his outlook better than Barner's both because of the matchup and because he has been more involved lately. You might be able to find a better option, but if you're in a deep league or just find yourself without a player late in the week, Dulcich is worth considering.

Harold Fannin, Cleveland Browns @ New Orleans Saints

Here's a player with a higher upside. Fannin came into the year with the upside of a weekly fantasy starter, and while he ranks in the top six in both standard and PPR scoring, Fannin had no more than three catches or 27 yards in four of his eight games, leaving him with several poor fantasy performances. He has been on fire the past two games, combining for 16 receptions and 245 yards.

This week brings an opportunity to continue the good times: New Orleans has allowed the seventh-most yards per pass attempt and the sixth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. All but one team has gotten at least 49 yards from their tight ends against the Saints, and the position is averaging nearly 6.5 receptions per game.

Deshaun Watson is in concussion protocol and might not play. A start from Shedeur Sanders would lower Fannin's ceiling and floor, but even the backup could give Fannin a decent day with a great matchup. Watch the quarterback situation, but I'm playing Fannin either way in Week 9.

Sit

Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon, New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers

Henry left last week's game with a foot injury and hasn't practiced this week; his uncertainty is why I also listed Raridon here. It makes sense to look at the backup when a starter is out, and Raridon has topped 55 yards twice in the past month, though those games were sandwiched between three one-catch games. Raridon would have intrigue in the right matchup if Henry were to miss time.

This isn't the right matchup, though. The Packers have given up the third-fewest yards per pass attempt and the second-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends, shutting down the position all season. Only three teams have reached 40 yards against Green Bay from their TEs, and they have given up just two touchdowns to the position. No individual tight end has topped 37 yards against the Pack.

No matter if Henry is in the lineup or not, all New England tight ends should stay on the bench this week. It's likely to be a rough game for the passing attack, and though Drake Maye finds ways to score fantasy points, it's risky to trust any pass catcher.

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills @ Minnesota Vikings

Speaking of tough matchups, the Vikings have given up fewer fantasy points to tight ends than any other team while allowing the fifth-fewest yards per pass attempt. While I was hesitant to do it, I listed Detroit's Sam LaPorta here as a player to sit last week because Minnesota is just that good against the position. LaPorta had just three catches for 33 yards, matching the weak performance of every tight end against the Vikings since Green Bay found success in Week 1.

Kincaid has been inconsistent in 2026. After starting the year scorching with 12 receptions and 225 yards in the first two games, he had four straight outings in which he failed to top 38 yards (though he did catch seven passes in one of those games). Kincaid returned to form last week with four catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, but it's tough to trust him to score fantasy points every week.

With an abysmal matchup here, Kincaid is close to a must-sit player. There's always the chance for a big play with Josh Allen at quarterback, but Kincaid is unlikely to string together many catches and will likely be dependent on a touchdown to have even an average game.

Chig Okonkwo, Washington Commanders vs. Los Angeles Rams

I've never been a fan of Okonkwo and don't often feel the need to list him here because most fantasy owners aren't considering him. Okonkwo has reached 60 yards in two of his five games this season, though, so owners could conceivably think of him as an option when the matchup is right.

That makes it worth mentioning him here both because we don't have a lot of strong contenders for this spot and because the matchup is heavily against him. The Rams have allowed the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. After starting the year shutting down everyone, LA was vulnerable against Trey McBride and Brock Bowers in Weeks 6 and 7; there's no shame in that. They also let the Chargers' tight ends go for 72 yards on six catches last week, which isn't as understandable, but I still don't want to test the Rams with a low-level fantasy player.

Okonkwo should only be on your radar in the best matchups, and even then, he's a lower-level streamer. With a tougher opponent in this one, Washington's tight end should stay on the waiver wire.