Week 16 Start 'Em Sit 'Em TEs feat. Trey McBride, Jonnu Smith, Kyle Pitts, Cole Kmet

Week 16 of the 2024 fantasy football season has officially arrived as most managers are now dealing with their league's playoffs. All lineup positions should be fully optimized to make sure that they give themselves the best chance of advancing to the next round. Here are some tight ends to target and fade this week to help them do so.

Week 16 Fantasy Football TEs Start 'Em picks

Week 16 starts (image credit: getty)

Trey McBride is having an incredible 2024 fantasy football season with the Arizona Cardinals. He ranks as the overall TE3 and has recorded nine weekly finishes among the top 10 TEs, including in each of his past seven games. He has done so without scoring a single touchdown, giving him one of the safest floors of any player in Week 16 when he plays against the Carolina Panthers, who are allowing the most fantasy points per game to TEs.

He is joined by Jonnu Smith who is on a hot streak with the Miami Dolphins in recent weeks. He has finished as the TE5 or better in each of his past five games after doing so just once across the first 10 weeks of the season. He has improved his season-long rankings all the way up to the overall TE4 and his recent form makes him an excellent target this week, despite a tough matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

Must Starts

• Trey McBride
• George Kittle
• Travis Kelce
• Brock Bowers
• Jonnu Smith

DFS Picks

• TJ Hockenson
• Trey McBride
• Brenton Strange

Week 16 Fantasy Football TEs Sit 'Em picks

Week 16 sits (image credit: getty)

Kyle Pitts' fantasy value has tanked in recent weeks for the Atlanta Falcons as he has struggled to find a consistent role in their offense. He showed promise in the early stages of the season, finishing as the TE11 or better in five of his first seven games, but has failed to do so in any of the past seven weeks. He has also failed to exceed 30 yards in five of his past six games, making him a clear fade this week, despite a favorable matchup against the New York Giants.

Another TE to avoid is Cole Kmet, who has been inconsistent for the Chicago Bears. He has also particularly struggled in recent weeks, finishing outside of the top 30 TEs in each of his past three games. He has also totaled just 40 yards across those games and finished as the weekly TE32 in his first meeting with the Detroit Lions on Nov. 28, which he will face again this week.

Must Sits

• Kyle Pitts
• Cole Kmet
• Mike Gesicki
• Dalton Schultz
• Isaiah Likely

DFS Fades

• Dalton Kincaid
• Jake Ferguson
• Cade Otton