Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is the ultimate weekly look at NFL matchups and how they'll affect your fantasy football team. Fantasy superstars such as Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey will not be featured in this column. All player matchups are based on a PPR scoring system. For your final starting lineup decisions, check my weekly fantasy football lineup rankings.
Byes:Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
The tight end position is very thin, and that's before we lose six teams to a bye. So, Everett is likely to be a virtual must start on most rosters who don't have an elite option. The Steelers have allowed five touchdowns and nearly 14 fantasy points to tight ends, so Everett will be in a good spot to post a nice stat line. He's a viable No. 1 choice.
Olsen just can't seem to produce a nice stat line with Kyle Allen under center, so consider him a desperation option based on the matchup when the Panthers face the Packers. Their defense has struggled against opposing tight ends this season, surrendering five touchdowns and 14.4 fantasy points a game to the position this season.
The Colts will be without T.Y. Hilton again, and Brian Hoyer will need an outlet in the pass attack near the red zone. That could be Doyle, who has a great matchup against the Dolphins. Their defense just allowed a nice stat line to Ryan Griffin, and it should have been better if a touchdown wasn't (oddly) called back. Doyle is worth a shot.
Rudolph hasn't had a great season in fantasy circles, but he has put up 11-plus fantasy points in two of his last three games. That could be due in part to the absence of Adam Thielen, who will miss another game due to a bad hamstring. So, if you're in need at the position this week, Rudolph is well worth a look off the fantasy waiver wire.
Start 'Em:Jonnu Smith vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Vance McDonald vs. Los Angeles Rams
Sleepers:Mike Gesicki at Indianapolis Colts, O.J. Howard vs. Arizona Cardinals
Sit 'Em
Sit of the Week
Graham was my top tight end sit a week ago, and he once again produced a poor stat line. I'd keep him on the sidelines again, even with six teams on a bye, against a Panthers defense that's been tough on tight ends. In fact, their defense has allowed just two touchdowns and the seventh-fewest fantasy points to the position.
Eifert had his best stat line of the season before Cincinnati's bye week with 74 yards and 13.4 fantasy points. Still, I'd keep him on the sidelines when he faces a Ravens defense that's allowed fewer than 10 fantasy points per game to tight ends. What's more, rookie Ryan Finley will be making his first-ever NFL start in the game.
Hollister is coming off a career stat line, posting two touchdowns and 19.7 fantasy points against the Buccaneers. Unfortunately, this week's game in San Francisco is not at all favorable. In fact, their defense has given up just one touchdown, and no team has allowed fewer fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.
Burton has disappeared from the stat sheets in fantasy land, ranking an awful 49th among tight ends in points per game and 26th in routes run. He's also 39th in red zone routes run. So while this week's game against the Lions might seem favorable, Burton remains a fade in most leagues ... even with six teams on a bye during the week.
Sit 'Em:Ryan Griffin vs. New York Giants, Dawson Knox at Cleveland Browns
Busts:T.J. Hockenson at Chicago Bears, Jared Cook vs. Atlanta Falcons
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. You can follow Michael on **Twitter**, **Facebook**, **YouTube** and **Instagram** for all of the latest fantasy football news, notes and in-depth analysis!
