Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee and Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth remain Week 7 fantasy football start ’em picks because Las Vegas and New Orleans rank among the friendliest tight end matchups. Las Vegas allows 14.7 half-PPR points per game to tight ends, sixth-most, and New Orleans ranks seventh at 14.1.
Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. and Raiders tight end Michael Mayer are sits against San Francisco and Los Angeles, two top-four tight end defenses.
Higbee is my TE10 for Week 7, and Freiermuth is TE12. If Freiermuth can’t play, Darnell Washington is a great streaming option. Pitts (TE16) and Mayer (TE24) rank outside my top 15, and neither matchup gives a reason to move them up.
New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) reacts with wide receiver DeMario Douglas (3) after catching a pass for a touchdown | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Both Week 6 starts missed, and I’m going back to the well again on both. Freiermuth played through a calf injury that put him on Saturday’s injury report and caught two of three targets for 11 yards in Pittsburgh’s 26-19 overtime win at Tampa Bay. Higbee caught all four of his targets for 22 yards and lost a fumble in the Rams’ 18-16 loss to Arizona, and Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford didn’t target him until the fourth quarter.
The sits split. Carolina Panthers tight end Darren Waller went without a catch on two targets in Carolina’s 25-14 win at Philadelphia. New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry caught four of five targets for 48 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown in a 26-19 win over the Jets.
Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (89) runs after making a catch during the fourth quarter against the Buffalo Bills | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
- Week 7: at Las Vegas, 14.7 FP/game to TEs (27th)
- Week 6: vs. Arizona, 4 rec. for 22 yds on 4 targets
Week 7: at Las Vegas, 14.7 FP/game to TEs (27th)
Week 6: vs. Arizona, 4 rec. for 22 yds on 4 targets
The Rams lost their No. 2 target Sunday. Coach Sean McVay said Davante Adams ruptured his hamstring against Arizona and will miss six to 10 weeks, and Adams leads the team with 480 receiving yards.
That leaves Puka Nacua and Higbee as Stafford’s top two options. Terrance Ferguson remains on injured reserve and can’t return until Week 8, so the 33-year-old won’t share tight end targets with him this week. Colby Parkinson has also been a factor, seeing 60% or more snaps in each of the Rams’ last two games.
Before Sunday, Higbee had three straight games with at least five catches and 60 yards, totaling 18 catches for 212 yards and a touchdown. Las Vegas has allowed 40 catches, 323 yards and six touchdowns to tight ends, and those six scores rank third-most in the league.
With Adams out, the Western Kentucky product is a TE1 against a defense that gives up touchdowns to his position.
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) looks on during the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
- Week 7: at New Orleans (Paris), 14.1 FP/game to TEs (26th)
Week 6: at Tampa Bay, 2 rec. for 11 yds on 3 targets
Week 7: at New Orleans (Paris), 14.1 FP/game to TEs (26th)
Week 6: at Tampa Bay, 2 rec. for 11 yds on 3 targets
The calf injury is the variable, and Pittsburgh’s practice reports this week will decide whether he’s playable for a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff in Paris. Still, Freiermuth ran 41 routes on Aaron Rodgers’ 56 dropbacks in Tampa, so the Steelers kept him on the field while limited.
Pittsburgh’s receiver room remains thin with Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson on injured reserve. Freiermuth has four touchdowns on 21 catches, and the red-zone role hasn’t changed.
New Orleans has allowed 42 catches and 455 yards to tight ends, about seven catches and 76 yards per game. That volume gives the Penn State product a path to points even without a score, and he’s a TE1 if he practices fully.
If Freiermuth can’t go, Darnell Washington is a great alternative for TE streamers.
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. (8) celebrates after scoring against the Chicago Bears | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
- Week 7: vs. San Francisco, 6.9 FP/game to TEs (4th)
Week 6: vs. Chicago, 5 rec. for 60 yds, 2 TD on 7 targets
Week 7: vs. San Francisco, 6.9 FP/game to TEs (4th)
Week 6: vs. Chicago, 5 rec. for 60 yds, 2 TD on 7 targets
Pitts has three touchdowns over his last two games, including two fourth-quarter scores in Sunday’s 31-23 loss to the Bears. Chicago entered Week 6 without allowing a tight end touchdown, so the 6-foot-6 Florida product earned some trust.
But San Francisco hasn’t allowed a receiving touchdown to a tight end through six games and has given up just 251 yards to the position. Pitts has 15 catches for 169 yards this season, and his first four games produced five catches for 67 yards, so his recent surge rests on touchdowns.
Pitts sits at TE16, and Higbee or Freiermuth is the better play against weaker defenses.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) on the field after the game against the Buffalo Bills | Christopher Trim-Imagn Images
- Week 7: vs. LA Rams, 6.0 FP/game to TEs (T-1st)
Week 6: vs. Buffalo, 7 rec. for 95 yds on 9 targets
Week 7: vs. LA Rams, 6.0 FP/game to TEs (T-1st)
Week 6: vs. Buffalo, 7 rec. for 95 yds on 9 targets
Mayer set a career high with 95 receiving yards in Sunday’s 33-30 loss to Buffalo and outgained teammate Brock Bowers, my TE3, by 25 yards. The shootout inflated his workload, and he drew one target the week before in a blowout loss to New England.
Las Vegas ran just one three-receiver play against Buffalo, so the Notre Dame product’s snaps are steady. Targets are the issue, because Bowers remains the first read.
The Rams have allowed 24 catches, 179 yards and one touchdown to tight ends in six games, the fewest fantasy points to the position. Mayer needs volume or a touchdown as a secondary tight end, and Los Angeles has limited both, which makes him a deep-league sit.
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