New on Sports Illustrated: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Fantasy Football Week 4: Tight Ends - Sleepers, Fades, Matchups, DFS Bargains

Rob Gronkowski has been en fuego and there's no slowing him down in a revenge game vs. New England.

Start ‘Em, Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups based on a PPR scoring system in fantasy football. This column will not cover the elite players in the NFL like Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey, Davante Adams, or Travis Kelce. Instead, I'll look at the players you have the most questions about to help you set the most effective starting lineup possible. For all of your final fantasy lineup decisions, be sure to check out my weekly player rankings which will be updated daily throughout the 2021 NFL season.

Week 4 Start ‘Em: Tight Ends

Start of the Week

Rob Gronkowski at Patriots (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Can you say … revenge? Much like Tom Brady at quarterback, Gronkowski is my start of the week at his position in a contest against the Patriots. The matchup is bad on paper, as New England has surrendered the third-fewest points to tight ends in their last eight games. But you know coach Bruce Arians will want to get Gronkowski involved in a big way this week.

Week 4 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

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QUARTERBACKS
• RUNNING BACKS
• WIDE RECEIVERS
• TIGHT ENDS
• KICKERS
• TEAM DEFENSES

Start ‘Em

Kyle Pitts vs. Football Team (1 p.m. ET, FOX): Pitts has not lived up to expectations to this early point in the season, ranking 14th in fantasy points among tight ends. He could bust out this week though, as he faces a surprisingly good matchup against the Football Team. Washington has allowed two tight ends (Jared Cook, Dawson Knox) to score 10-plus fantasy points in its first three games. Keep the faith in Pitts this week.

Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

Noah Fant vs. Ravens (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Fant put up a big stinker last week, but it was his first bad stat line of the season. I'd stick with him this week, however, as a game against the Ravens is a favorable one. While their defense did stop T.J. Hockenson a week ago, their defense has given up huge totals to Travis Kelce and Darren Waller. Fant might not be on their level in terms of talent, but he’s still a viable No. 1 option.

Logan Thomas at Falcons (1 p.m. ET, FOX): Thomas might not be putting up huge totals, but he's in the top-five in snaps and in the top-10 for tight ends targets. I’d keep him in your lineups this week against the Falcons, who have given up 14-plus fantasy points to both Dallas Goedert and Gronkowski in their first three games. Overall, Atlanta has allowed the eighth-most points to enemy tight ends.

More Starts

• Dallas Goedert vs. Chiefs (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
• Tyler Higbee vs. Cardinals (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX)
• Dawson Knox vs. Texans (1 p.m. ET, CBS)

DFS Bargains

• Noah Fant vs. Ravens ($4,300)
• Dawson Knox vs. Texans ($3,600)
• Cole Kmet vs. Lions ($3,000)

Week 4 Sit ‘Em: Tight Ends

Sit of the Week

Mike Gesicki vs. Colts (1 p.m. ET, CBS): I was dead wrong on Gesicki last week, as he was targeted 12 times (three more times than his first two weeks combined). However, I'm still not high on him for this week, as the matchup against the Colts isn't all that favorable. Their defense has allowed an average of just 51 receiving yards and three total touchdowns to enemy tight ends in their last eight games dating back to last year.

Sit ‘Em

Jonnu Smith vs. Buccaneers (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): This week’s matchup against the Buccaneers is a nice one on paper, as their defense has allowed the 10th-most points to tight ends. The problem is that Smith has run a pass route on just 37.1 percent of Mac Jones's dropbacks after three weeks. That's far less than Hunter Henry, who has run a route on nearly 70 percent of dropbacks. At this point, Smith is a fade for me.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Evan Engram at Saints (1 p.m. ET, FOX): Engram returned to action last week, but he did little to instill confidence in fantasy managers. While he did see six targets, the veteran had just two catches and lost a fumble. Next on the schedule is a date with the Saints, who have allowed three touchdowns to tight ends in their last eight games dating back to last season. Unless you’re desperate, Engram should remain sidelined.

Gerald Everett at 49ers (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX): Everett is coming off a solid stat line, as he hauled in all five of his targets for 54 yards last week. He’s still tied for 24th in snaps and 23rd in targets among tight ends; however, this week's matchup in San Francisco isn't favorable. Over their last eight games dating back to 2020, the Niners have allowed three touchdowns and the second-fewest points to the position.

More Sits

• Jack Doyle at Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
• Austin Hooper at Vikings (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
• Tyler Conklin vs. Browns (1 p.m. ET, CBS)

DFS Fades

• Mark Andrews at Broncos ($5,300)
• Robert Tonyan vs. Steelers ($4,300)
• Mike Gesicki vs. Colts ($4,000)

Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business!