It’s week four, and if you are like most of us, your tight end pooped the bed last week. That means you’ve turned to players you didn’t think you would need this early in the season, especially if you decided to stream tight ends this season. With week four start or sits potentially being the difference between starting 1-3 or 0-4 (or 4-0!), each start or sit decision becomes increasingly critical. This week, we figure out if we should start or sit three tight ends you likely picked up off the waiver wire. Let’s figure out if we should start or sit T.J. Hockenson, Dalton Schultz, or Logan Thomas in fantasy football week four?
Start or Sit T.J. Hockenson versus New Orleans
After a disappointing rookie campaign in 2019 (week one non-withstanding), Hockenson’s turned in three-straight commendable tight end efforts of 5/56/1, 4/62, and 4/53. Those were good enough to be TE8 on the young season. However, due to the vagaries of the position, he’s been top-fifteen just once this year. That makes the question to start or sit Hock a real one. For this week, I’m saying to fire him up and start T.J. Hockenson. This week, he gets the literal best possible tight end matchup through three games. The Saints allowed four touchdowns in their first three contests this year, and let Robert Tonyan and O.J. Howard be top-ten plays against them already. Hockenson should make it two-for-four as a top-ten tight end this season after this week.
Start or Sit Dalton Schultz versus Cleveland
There was a flow chart that happened this offseason: no Jason Witten means lots of targets for Blake Jarwin. That drove Blake Jarwin’s fantasy football value. Somehow, that flow chart stopped at Blake Jarwin. There was no “now that Blake Jarwin is out, those targets go to Dalton Schultz”part of the flowchart, but there should have been. Jarwin left week one with his knee injury, so let’s throw that game out. Over the last two weeks, only Travis Kelce, Darren Waller, and Zach Ertz have more targets than Schultz, and only Kelce & Waller have more receptions. He also ranks fifth in TE yardage. He’s the next step in the flowchart that nobody reached.
This week, he gets the Cleveland Browns. You may remember the Browns from such hits as “forgetting to guard Mark Andrews” and “getting crushed by C.J. Uzomah and Drew Sample, of all people.” They allow the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends. If you are in a bind, fire him up and start Dalton Schultz this week.
Start or Sit Logan Thomas versus Baltimore
Logan Thomas is the type of guy people love to pick up and stream off the waiver wire. He quietly has the third-most TE targets this season (24, eight per game). But, he’s also a cautionary tale for the quality of targets someone receives. Only 70% of his targets are catchable (he ranks #30 among tight ends in this stat). Thomas is also a cautionary tale in what a TE does with targets: his three drops lead all tight ends.
But, all that stuff tends to normalize and even out. This week, he gets a Baltimore team that has allowed at least 80 yards or a touchdown to three tight ends in three games this year. Hopefully, Dwayne Haskins can get his act together enough to make it four-for-four. But, I’d rather have a whole lot of players other than Logan Thomas. You can’t bet on a touchdown when Dwayne Haskins leads such an anemic offense week-in and week-out. If Alex Smith gets in there, you can, and should, fire up Logan Thomas. Until then, sit Logan Thomas.
The Verdict
T.J. Hockenson has his role in the Lions’ offense solidified, so go with Hockenson first. Then, I would start Dalton Schultz as a streamer this week. With Logan Thomas, the targets are there, but nothing else is. I’m okay being wrong this week on Logan Thomas, but I am going to exercise caution and not start him this week.
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