As Week 4 begins, the fantasy football landscape looks different than we expected heading into the season. When looking at the top-scoring players at every position, there are at least a few surprises on every list.
One group that has some names we didn’t necessarily expect in the top 10 is the tight ends. Names like Hunter Henry, Donald Parham Jr., and Tyler Higbee have climbed into the top 10. Another name on this list is Evan Engram. One that is missing? Kyle Pitts.
Will Engram continue to outscore the athletic anomaly that is Pitts in fantasy lineups? Who is the right tight end to start in the London game this weekend?
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Kyle Pitts Fantasy Outlook This Week
Since entering the league, fantasy managers have been in love with Pitts. He is an absolute freak athlete who has the chance to become a dominant force in the NFL.
One problem: the Atlanta Falcons’ offense. We are in Year 3 of Pitts’ career and the Falcons still have not looked to unleash him and make him a key target in their offense. At least, they haven’t since his rookie year.
Pitts had 1,026 yards with 68 catches on 110 targets in his first season. He averaged nearly 6.5 targets per game. Since then, he has only seen 5.8 targets per game and an even lower 5.6 targets in 2023.
While I want to believe that those breakout games are coming, it is getting harder and harder to rely on Pitts. But if it was to ever happen, this Sunday could be the week.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have surrendered the eighth-most points to tight ends this season — not a bad matchup for the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history. And while the sample size is small, Pitts’ best fantasy game of his career came in foggy London town. In 2021, Pitts had nine catches on 10 targets for 119 yards and a touchdown against the New York Jets.
Maybe London and a susceptible Jaguars defense are all Pitts needs to get on track.
Evan Engram Fantasy Outlook This Week
Talk about a resurgence of a career for Engram in the last two seasons! After mediocre and injury-riddled years to end his time with the New York Giants, Engram has found new life in Duval with the Jaguars.
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Engram finished 2022 as the TE5 overall in fantasy (0.5 PPR). He has stayed consistent, sitting at TE5 once again through three weeks of the 2023 season. He currently sits at third in the league among tight ends in targets and receptions on the year.
And low and behold, Engram has a great opportunity this weekend playing the Falcons, who have surrendered the second-most points to tight ends this season in fantasy — not a bad way to enter Week 4.
Engram and the Jaguars will look to get back on track after a lackluster performance at home against the Houston Texans. A favorite to win the AFC South, the Jaguars sit at 1-2 and need a win in London this weekend. I expect the passing game to be active throughout the contest, which bodes well for Engram’s odds at a big game.
Which of These TEs Should You Start?
If you happen to have both of these players on your roster, let me congratulate you on building a solid tight end room for yourself. Typically, you wouldn’t be able to have these two players on the same team.
But if you do have both and must decide between them, go with Engram. The Jaguars’ tight end has more targets, catches, and yards on the year, and he’s in a more high-powered offense. The Falcons’ defense has struggled with tight ends a bit more than the Jaguars.
This choice is actually pretty simple. Until the Falcons start game planning with Pitts in mind and making him a big part of the offense, you can’t start him with any confidence. I think he could still have a great career, but you can’t trust a tight end who is only averaging three catches a game right now.
Engram, meanwhile, has been consistent for 20 straight games dating back to the start of last year. He is a top-five tight end. You have to have him in your lineup. Go with Engram this week.