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Week 7 Sits and Starts - Tight Ends Matchups Analysis

Joe Sorensen covers his top sits and starts for fantasy football Week 7, using his matchup-based analysis. This week he focuses on wide receivers.

Tight end has been an extremely confusing position as we quickly approach the midway point of the 2016 fantasy football season. The favorite to lead the position and a first-round pick in a lot of draft, Rob Gronkowski, got off to a slow start and is just starting to pick it up. Second on the list, Jordan Reed, is dealing with another concussion after he too struggled in the early going. Greg Olsen is the only one in the top three that has been productive since Week 1.

On the other hand, there have been many surprises this season. Rookie Hunter Henry of the San Diego Chargers is a borderline TE1. The Bears Zach Miller has been extremely inconsistent. Also, there has been a resurgence in Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph. So who can we trust this week?

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NFL (or NBA) Premium Pass for free, a $59.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium pass.

 
*Remember: These columns do not include your every-week starters. For this week, players like Rob Gronkowski and Jordan Reed are not considered. This article goes deeper than that.

 

Best Start Possible – Charles Clay @ MIA

This one is not based on the talent of Clay alone. This decision is made based on who the Buffalo Bills are missing this week. As of now, starting RB LeSean McCoy is set to miss this game and the next couple games. WR Sammy Watkins has missed the last few games and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Watkins' replacement as the team’s WR1, Robert Woods, is still in a walking boot and it’s not looking good for him. So, who is left for QB Tyrod Taylor to throw to? Marquis Goodwin, who has a total of eight catches on the season? This is why Clay should see plenty of targets against Miami’s weak defense. This is still considered somewhat of a revenge game for Clay. After spending the first four seasons of his career with the Dolphins, he posted five catches for 82 yards and a TD in his first game against Miami last season.

 

Quality Start – Dennis Pitta @ NYJ

Until noted otherwise, Pitta will continue to be a quality start for your tight end position. He may not post flashy numbers (or get in the end zone very much), but he gets targeted. A lot. Pitta has 18 total targets and 13 receptions in the past two games. While he still is yet to score a TD this season, the opportunities are coming. With Steve Smith Sr. set to miss at least one more game, it will be Pitta’s chance to get in the endzone against a struggling Jets pass defense. He may not finish as a top-five TE this week, but there is no reason to expect less than seven targets in his direction. What he gets to do with those targets should result in positive points for your fantasy team. 

 

Worst Start Possible – Zach Ertz vs. MIN

You may be looking through history and wondering why Ertz is not a good start this week. In his only career game against the Vikings in 2013, Ertz posted six catches for 57 yards and a TD. Let’s take a look at 2016. Ertz has only played in three games, catching 10 balls for zero TDs. Minnesota’s DEF is much better than they were in 2013 and have many members of the secondary that could focus heavily on Jordan Matthews and still shut down Ertz. The questions surrounding Philly’s offense and the productive play out of Minnesota’s defense should lead to a very questionable play for the fourth-year TE.

 

Not a Good Start – Antonio Gates @ ATL

This is probably the first time someone has recommended sitting Antonio Gates, if he is healthy and playing. But, with the emergence of Hunter Henry and the declining play of the former All-Pro TE, signs are pointing down for Gates. Historically, Gates has not fared well against the Falcons. In three career games against Atlanta, Gates has averaged four receptions for just over 40 yards and has never scored a TD against them. Gates is now 36 years old and his most productive years are clearly behind him. My suggestions: get him off your team. You could probably find someone who thinks Gates will find his TE1 form once again.

Next week, we look at what some people call the hardest position to judge and what others call the easiest to judge. We will be focusing on quarterbacks and some controversy at the position. 

 

Have a player or position question you would like me to talk about? Follow me on Twitter @JSorensen119 and let me know.




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