Week 8 Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: QB | RB | WR | TE | Team D/K
Start ’Em, Sit ’Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups in fantasy football leagues, based on a full-point PPR scoring system. This column will not cover elite NFL players like Josh Allen, Bijan Robinson, Ja’Marr Chase or Trey McBride. Instead, it will focus on players who could exceed or fall short of their statistical expectations at each position. For all your final lineup decisions, check out my weekly player rankings, which are updated daily.
Note: Streamers listed are players started in fewer than 50% of Sleeper fantasy leagues.
Byes: 49ers, Giants, Saints, Texans
Fabs’s Top 10 Fantasy Tight End Rankings For Week 8
- Trey McBride at Cowboys
- Brock Bowers at Jets
- Tucker Kraft vs. Panthers (Thurs.)
- Colston Loveland at Seahawks (Mon.)
- Dallas Goedert at Commanders
- Kyle Pitts Sr. at Buccaneers
- Hunter Henry at Dolphins
- Sam LaPorta at Vikings
- Travis Kelce at Broncos
- T.J. Hockenson at Lions
Complete Week 8 tight end rankings
Week 8 Start ’Em Tight Ends
Start of the Week
T.J. Hockenson at Lions (1 p.m. ET, Fox): The Vikings tight end has been hot, scoring 13-plus fantasy points in each of his last two full games. Next up is a plus matchup against the Lions, which also happens to be a revenge game for him. Detroit’s defense has allowed eight tight ends to score 13-plus points against them this season, including three who have scored more than 21 points! That’s the definition of a Halloween treat. Overall, no team has given up more points to tight ends.
Start ’Em
Kyle Pitts Sr. at Buccaneers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Pitts went from looking like an absolute bust in the first four weeks to re-emerging as a startable asset in the last three games. In that span, he has scored four touchdowns for the Falcons and accumulated 51.4 fantasy points. Pitts has a great matchup in Week 8, too, facing a Buccaneers team that has allowed five tight ends to beat them for 10-plus points. Pitts also beat Tampa Bay for 45.6 points in their last meeting in Week 15 of last year.
Hunter Henry at Dolphins (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Henry went from a fantasy trick to a major treat, scoring 11-plus fantasy points in each of his last four games. The Patriots tight end also has seen 12 targets in his last two contests, and a plus matchup against the Dolphins is next on the slate. Five tight ends have beaten their defense for 10-plus points, including three with at least 18 points, so Henry is in a great spot to continue his streak of attractive fantasy stat lines.
Dallas Goedert at Commanders (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Goedert hasn’t posted massive totals over his last three games, but he has seen a combined 24 targets in that span. That volume is enough to keep him in starting lineups, and a matchup against the Commanders is favorable. Back in Week 1, Goedert beat their defense for two touchdowns and 23.7 fantasy points. He is one of four tight ends to score 17-plus points against them, including three with 20-plus points.
More Starts
- Tucker Kraft vs. Panthers (Thurs. 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
- Travis Kelce at Broncos (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS)
- Brenton Strange vs. Colts (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
Tight End Streamers
- Pat Freiermuth vs. Browns (29%): Freiermuth is tough to trust, but he did beat the Browns for a touchdown and 10.7 fantasy points in their first matchup of 2026.
- Mason Taylor vs. Raiders (1%): Taylor scored two touchdowns for the Jets last week, and he faces a Raiders defense that has allowed the second-highest points per route run to tight ends.
- Greg Dulcich vs. Patriots (1%): The Dolphins tight end has scored nine-plus points in three of his last four games, and the Patriots have allowed 19-plus points to two tight ends since Week 5.
Week 8 Sit ’Em Tight Ends
Sit of the Week
Mark Andrews at Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Andrews has become almost impossible to trust in fantasy lineups, as he has scored in single digits in three straight games and five of seven contests this season. This week’s opponent, the Bills, have surrendered the 12th-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. Still, Andrews has failed to take advantage of plus matchups on paper, like last week against the Bengals, so I’d look for a more attractive option for this weekend.
Sit ‘Em
Harold Fannin Jr. at Steelers (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Fannin is coming off one of his best games of the season, posting six catches and 13.1 fantasy points in the Browns’ win over the Titans. He had been held to fewer than two points in his previous two games, though, and a matchup against the Steelers isn’t favorable. Their defense has allowed the third-fewest points per route run to tight ends, and only two have scored touchdowns (Fannin was one). I’d beware him this weekend.
Tyler Higbee vs. Chargers (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Higbee was a popular streamer last week, but it was fellow Rams tight end Davis Allen who scored two touchdowns and posted the best stat line. Therein lies the real problem … the Rams lead the league in 13-personnel, so it’s hard to pick the top fantasy option among Higbee, Allen and Colby Parkinson each week. The Chargers also have allowed the 10th-fewest points per game to tight ends, so Higbee comes with significant risk this week.
Jake Ferguson vs. Cardinals (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Ferguson’s time as a startable fantasy player appears to be over. In the last two weeks, he has lost significant snaps to Breyvn Spann-Ford, who has also outscored Ferguson 10.6 points to 3.3 points. So the matchup being good—Arizona has allowed the seventh-most points per game to tight ends—doesn’t really mean much if Ferguson isn’t on the field enough to take advantage. He can be released in smaller leagues.
More Sits
- Chig Okonkwo vs. Eagles (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
- Darren Waller at Packers (Thurs. 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
- Michael Mayer at Jets (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
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