Week 13 of the NFL season has arrived! The fantasy tight end landscape is in a state of constant flux, so it’s time to take a deeper dive into that position with the fantasy playoffs on the horizon.
Let’s break down my Week 13 start ’em, sit ’em fantasy football TE picks.
Start ‘Em: Jonnu Smith (Dolphins) at Packers — Thanksgiving Day
Jonnu Smith emerging as a top five fantasy tight end wasn’t on my 2024 bingo card… but here we are!
Over Miami’s last two games, Smith saw 19 targets, hauling in 15 of them for 188 yards and three touchdowns, racking up a combined 55.8 fantasy points. The Dolphins’ offense has finally begun to look like last year’s elite unit, and Smith has been the main beneficiary thus far.
He should remain heavily involved against a Packers team that ranks in the bottom half of the league against fantasy tight ends.
Sit ‘Em: Cole Kmet (Bears) at Lions — Thanksgiving Day
Kmet was heavily featured in Chicago’s heartbreaking loss to the Vikings, catching seven of 10 targets for 64 yards.
However, I’m not buying this new, expanded role as a longterm mainstay. Kmet failed to receive 10 total targets combined across Weeks 8-11, suggesting that we could be looking at an outlier performance against Minnesota.
This week, he’ll take on a Lions team that allows the fewest fantasy points to tight ends. I expect Kmet to come back down to earth and reassume his typical role.
Check out my full Week 13 start/sit article with picks at each position here!
Start ‘Em: Zach Ertz (Commanders) vs. Titans
At 34 years old, Ertz has been a beacon of consistency for the Commanders.
While it’s been a struggle for Jayden Daniels as of late, that hasn’t affected the veteran, who has scored at least 14 points in four of his last six games. It’s not like Ertz is touchdown-or-bust either, he sees a legitimate target share on a week-to-week basis. Start Daniels’ safety blanket with confidence against Tennessee.
Sit ‘Em: Kyle Pitts (Falcons) vs. Chargers
Just when it looked like Pitts had finally turned a corner, he came back down to earth.
The 24-year-old followed up four straight weeks of double-digit fantasy points by… failing to hit that mark in each of Atlanta’s last three games. The target share has been ugly too, with Pitts only receiving 10 over that three-game span.
Those are my start ’em, sit ’em Week 13 fantasy football tight end picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice next week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
