Week 6 Recap
In Week 7, the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Washington Commanders are all enjoying a bye week. The tight end landscape will change in Week 7 without Dalton Kincaid and attractive streaming options like Brenton Strange and Chig Okonkwo. Yes, you read that right: the latter actually showed signs of life last week and figures to play a larger role for the Commanders in coming weeks given the unfortunate injury to Terry McLaurin. Oh, right: the Los Angeles Chargers are also on bye, but the tight end position there has been about as fruitful as an apple orchard in the Mojave Desert. Anyway, before we dig into Week 7, let’s see how we fared in Week 6.
We gave the nod to Tyler Higbee, who disappointed with a TE34 finish. The usage and utilization were there, but the production didn’t follow. Our apologies to anyone we led astray. We also recommended Colston Loveland despite a spotty track record in 2026 to date. Loveland finished as the TE4, so fist bumps to all who took a leap of faith and plugged him into their lineups on that particular recommendation!
We cooled on our recommendation of Dallas Goedert earlier in the week, so we gave the green light to Travis Kelce instead, who finished…below Goedert (TE13) as the TE17. Sometimes, it’s best to stick to your gut. Thanks for nothing, brain! We did fade Pat Freiermuth, who was a popular streaming choice endorsed by many. Freiermuth finished even lower than Higbee, so we feel a bit vindicated there. Now, on to Week 7!
Week 7 Tight Ends
The name “Kyle Pitts” evokes eye rolls from many fantasy managers burned by unfulfilled promises of greatness. The frustration and hesitancy are understandable, but truthers, rejoice! Pitts has produced for fantasy managers in back-to-back weeks. More importantly, his usage and utilization in recent weeks with Michael Penix Jr. under center have been remarkably higher than comparative metrics from the start of the season, when the Falcons offense ran through Cooper Rush and Tua Tagovailoa. Expect Pitts to continue a major role in Kevin Stefanski’s offense, a system that has been kind to tight ends in recent years in Cleveland.
It’s tough to pick a “fade” in Week 7 given matchups and availability, but we’re not as high on Juwan Johnson or Harold Fannin as we were earlier in the season. Johnson’s snap count is capped by a head-scratching rotation involving Noah Fant and Oscar Delp. Fannin no longer serves as a primary target in an offense that has been given a lift by the emergence of K.C. Concepcion and Denzel Boston. Johnson and Fannin should finish in the same relative ballpark as streaming options like Higbee and Hunter Henry, both of whom we endorse this week. We continue to like the opportunity bestowed upon Higbee by the injury to Terrance Ferguson, and Henry continues to enjoy the trust of Drake Maye, who is projected to go off in Week 7. –Drew DeLuca