The writers at Dynasty Nerds are here to give you weekly starting/sitting advice throughout the season. We will make our recommendations based on weekly consensus PPR rankings. Here is Senior NFL Nerd’s Week 12 Tight End Start/Sit Steven Pintado.

One thing to keep in mind when making your tight start/sitting decisions for week 12; it will ALWAYS depend on who your other options are. Don’t take the players below out of (or put them in) your lineup unless the alternatives are worth it.

Do you win week 12 | QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP | CheatChart | Full slate

NOTE: The rankings for the Week 12 Tight End Start/Sit are from FantasyPros expert consensus expert rankings (ECR). Our terminology is for a 12-team PPR league. So TE1 means top 12, or TE2 means top 24, etc.

Our writers answer all positional questions, including Week 12’s tight start/sit, on Discord before the games, exclusively for the #Nerdherd. The advanced stats used in this article are from Fantasy Points Data Suite, use code NERDS for 25% discount your own data suite subscription or All-in bundle.

START | Week 12 Tight End Start/Sit

Zach Ertz | Washington Commanders | TE 14

Week 11 Statistics | TE5 | Fpts 16.7 | Tgts 7 | Recommendation 6 | Yds 47 | 1 TD | Trust 75%

Our tight end must starting for week 12 is Zach Ertz. The veteran tight end is coming off a solid performance, finishing as a top-5 tight end in Week 11. Ertz is seeing consistent targets in the Commanders’ offense, with at least 7 in 3 of the last 4 games.

Zach Ertz faces the Cowboys this week, a team that has struggled to stop tight ends as of late. In 4 of the previous 6 games, the Cowboys have surrendered a touchdown to the opposing tight end. I expect the Commanders to get back on track with their passing game in this divisional matchup. Since Week 5, Ertz has led Commanders past catchers in red zone targets (10). Ertz should be in a lot of lines for Week 12 in a mega-bye week.

TO SIT | Week 12 Tight End Start/Sit

Mark Andrews | Baltimore Ravens | TE 13

Week 11 Statistics | TE27 | FPTs 4.2 | Tgts 3 | Rec 2 | Yds 22 | Trust 60%

This may be hard to swallow, but Mark Andrews could disappoint again in Week 12. Andrews’ play has improved over the past month and a half, with double-digit fantasy points in 4 of the previous 6 games. The biggest reason is the five touchdowns Andrews has had in that span. In Week 12, Andrews will face the Chargers defense, which ranks in the top 10 in stopping fantasy tight ends this season.

According to Pro Football Reference, the Chargers are allowing an average of 5.1 fantasy points per game. They are the only team that hasn’t allowed a tight end to score against their defense yet. Andrews isn’t seeing consistent targets and fell behind to Isaiah Likely last week. Probably ended up with five chances, while Andrews only had three. Even though this game looks like a shootout, it’s hard to trust Andrews in a tough position game. Andrews could hurt your fantasy scoring in Week 12.

Streamer | START | Week 12 Tight End Start/Sit

JaTavion Sanders | Carolina Panthers | TE 19

Week 11 Statistics | BYE week | Trust 60%

Our tight end streamer for Week 12 is rookie JaTavion Sanders. The young tight end is coming off a bye week, a good time to start as a rookie. The unspoken truth is that teams like to get their rookies more involved after a bye, so we could see Sanders playing a bigger role. JaTavion Sanders has already seen consistent production, with at least 8 fantasy points in 4 of the last 5 games.

He will face the KC Chiefs, who will look to defeat the Panthers after their first loss of the season last week. This means we could see a lot of negative play script, which could benefit Sanders. The Chiefs are already a bottom 5 among fantasy tight ends in 2024. They have allowed at least 8 or more fantasy points to a tight end in 5 of the last 6 games. Sanders could be a gift to your Week 12 fantasy lineup.

In the spotlight | TO SIT | Week 12 Tight End Start/Sit

TJ Hockenson | Minnesota Vikings | TE 8

Week 11 Statistics | TE34 | FPTs 3.3 | Tgts 3 | Rec 2 | Yds 13 | Trust 78%

Our tight spot this week is TJ Hockenson. Since returning from injury, Hockenson has been up and down over the past three weeks. You might assume he’s a must-start tight end, but it’s not wrong to question that. Hockenson continues to be limited, having participated in less than 50% of offensive snaps since his return. The Vikings are still working him at full capacity, and it has shown that he has one game over five targets so far.

Since Week 2, the Bears have allowed just two tight ends to score more than 10 fantasy points. Both tight ends had double figures in those games. Hockenson is not considered a top option at this time. This matchup has the lowest over/under of the weekend at 39.5. This could be a defensive battle where the run game leaves the passing game for the Vikings to use when needed. This will hurt Hockenson’s ceiling in this matchup.

Salvation | START | Week 12 Tight End Start/Sit

Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chefs | TE 1

Week 11 Statistics | TE38 | Fpts 2.8 | Tgts 4 | Rec 2 | Yds 8 | Trust 90%

Our tight end who should redeem himself in Week 12 is Travis Kelce. This could pose a bit of a risk, but I expect the future Hall-of-Fame tight end to bounce back. He’s going up against the Panthers, who allow the most fantasy points per game to tight ends. The Panthers have allowed a tight end in the top 13 in 4 of the last 6 games. The worst finish in that period was TE19.

The Chiefs should be hungry and angry after finally losing a game this year, and the Panthers are the right team to beat. Last week, Kelce was scheduled out of the offense because the Bills locked him up. I didn’t expect the same from this game. Kelce had three straight games with 20+ fantasy points before Week 11. While you should probably start Kelce anyway, be confident of a big rebound in Week 12.

Do you win week 12 | QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP | CheatChart | Full slate

If you enjoyed reading the Week 12 Tight End Start/Sit, I encourage you to check out our other positional start/sit articles in the series using the navigation tool above or in the series navigation at the top of the page.

Check out the Week 12 Sunday preview, compiled for every player in every game using Fantasy Points Data Suite’s premium stats: