One of the toughest positions to get right is the tight ends. You generally only have to start one of them, and one play can swing their week so drastically. Especially when you aren’t starting an elite option. Two options that fantasy owners have to decide between this week are Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts and New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson.
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Pitts has seen more volume this season. He has caught 45 of 59 targets for 420 yards and one TD, with more consistent targets. He also has the better matchup this week against the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are allowing the seventh-most fantasy points to tight ends this season. We also know that Pitts is in a much more stable offense this week in that better matchup.
Over the course of his career, Pitts has gone to great lengths to break the trust of fantasy owners. Consistent disappointments have made it impossible to start him with confidence, regardless of the situation. We have already seen him in this matchup this season, and he totaled just 39 scoreless yards, because god forbid he scores a touchdown. In his five-year career, he has only scored 11 total TDs, which severely limits his upside.
New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson (84) warms up before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
The Giants are missing a ton of weapons in their passing game, and you can make the case that Johnson is their best option. This week, he will have Jameis Winston under center, who, if nothing else, we know is going to sling it. Johnson has seen his volume spike as of late, coming off his most targets of the season. Last week, he caught seven of eight targets for 75 yards. Despite being a more volatile offense, which is about to see their third different starting quarterback this week, Johnson has still found the end zone five times this year. His TD upside is much higher.
We have never seen Johnson with Winston, so that throws a huge wild card into this choice for a tight end who is already seeing less consistent volume. He also has a tough matchup against the Green Bay Packers, who are allowing the 12th-most fantasy points to tight ends this season. It’s not a terrible matchup, but it’s the worst of the two. While Johnson has a higher ceiling, he also has a lower floor.
Start Johnson. We are going with the upside here over the always disappointing Pitts. Johnson is so much more likely to score a TD and is very much capable of putting up just as many receptions and yards. Especially, now that he has less competition for touches. While the Falcons can go to Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, and Drake London, the Giants are limited to Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, and Tyrone Tracy Jr.
