NFL Fantasy 2023 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Tight ends for Week 13

McBride blossoming off the waiver wire has been a blessing to exactly one team in every fantasy league. He is a must-start option. Since he’s taken over the starting gig in Week 8, he has topped nine fantasy points in all but one game (which came with Clayton Tune against the Browns and really shouldn't count). Nine fantasy points is a super-safe floor for a tight end -- and he’s twice topped 21 fantasy points in that same span! McBride is a legitimate top-tier tight end in any given week, but a matchup against the Steelers, who are in the top 10 in yards allowed to TEs since Week 8, only helps. 

Not only is Hill a QB/RB/TE all-in-one hybrid, but he’s now out here Mossing dudes. Hill ran 12 routes in Week 12, catching both of his targets for 55 yards, while rushing seven times for 26 yards. In total, he scored eight fantasy points. We haven’t seen the formerly massive fantasy outputs in his last two games, but establishing a decent eight-point floor would make Hill one of the top tight ends in fantasy, given his upside. With six teams on bye at an already-weak position, and with much of the New Orleans receiving corps banged up, keep starting Hill. 

It’s never going to be easy to figure out which Colts running back is going to get the call. And even basing this on last week’s snaps (of which Hines led all Colts running backs with more than double the share at 56%), there is another reason why I would lean Hines in this one. The Packers have allowed two receiving touchdowns in the past four weeks to running backs on 20 receptions. They have also given up the fourth-most receiving yards to running backs (192) over that stretch. I’m not sure if this game will be high-scoring, given the Colts defense, but figure Hines will be targeted in this one.

Are the Lions a playoff team? A squad that’s going to do just enough to allow Matt Patricia to keep his gig for another year before they go 3-13 next season? I’m just saying. Swift was the RB4 after Sunday with just a shade under 26 fantasy points. He was running the ball well. But more importantly, he was huge in the passing game, getting five receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown. He ran 22 routes and was clearly ahead of Adrian Peterson (even in a revenge game) and Kerryon Johnson. This is a great matchup against the Panthers who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs this season. But I swear to goodness, I’m just waiting for the week when Peterson inexplicably gets 30 carries because you know it’s coming.

In the Steelers' first game without Matt Canada, Freiermuth put up a career-high 120 yards. While the floor had been super low previously, Freiermuth’s breakout last week simply cannot be ignored. He saw a team-high 11 targets, which is amazing for any pass catcher, let alone a tight end on many waiver wires. He’s a great streaming option and could quickly work his way back into must-start tight end status if he’s featured in this new-look offense.  

Need a few more streaming options in a tough week? Buccaneers TE Cade Otton has proven to be a safe-floor play, scoring more than eight fantasy points in each of his last two games. Juwan Johnson ran a team-high 33 routes last week for New Orleans and caught four of seven targets for 45 yards. As noted with Taysom Hill above, the Saints' wide receivers are extremely banged up, which could mean added volume going the way of the tight ends. Jets TE Tyler Conklin is an option for those in deeper leagues. He saw five targets last week, catching four of them for 33 yards. Now he gets the Falcons, who have allowed the fifth-most yards to tight ends this season. 

Sitting a tight end coming off his best game of the season? It sounds crazy, but looking at Higbee’s game logs, last week’s two-touchdown performance was clearly a fluke. It was his first time topping double figures since Cooper Kupp returned -- and he had just 29 yards. He still has yet to reach 50 yards in a game with Kupp back. It was also Higbee’s first game with a touchdown all year. Now he gets the Browns, who have allowed just 227 yards to tight ends on the entire season, by far the fewest in the NFL. Don’t chase last week’s points. 

Another tight end who hit the end zone last week. The issue is that Everett is entirely touchdown dependent. He has only reached double digits this season in games when he’s scored. And you can’t count on a TD this week against the Patriots, who have allowed just one to a tight end all season. They’ve also given up the second-fewest yards and fourth-fewest fantasy PPG. I would stream elsewhere this week. 

Thomas brought a safe floor most weeks early in the year. Unfortunately, last week was not "most weeks," as Thomas was limited to just two catches for 15 yards. His volume has decreased of late, as he has five targets or fewer in three of his last four games. If you want 7-9 fantasy points, Thomas can come through for you, but there’s not much more upside beyond that. 

If you watched the Packers on Thanksgiving, you got to see Kraft feast early. He caught a touchdown in the first quarter ... and finished with just two catches for 15 yards on two targets. He has received hype on fantasy Twitter, but I wouldn’t chase last week’s touchdown. The Chiefs have allowed the third-fewest yards to tight ends and just two touchdowns all season long. It’s fine to add Kraft to your bench and take a wait-and-see approach, but keep him out of your starting lineup this week.