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USATSI

Week 12 is supposed to be one of the best weeks of Fantasy Football. We get three games on Thursday and no one is on a bye. There are 18 QBs I'd feel OK starting this week. There are wide receivers I kind of like who didn't even crack my top 48. I like six tight ends. Five of them I expected to rank this high on a weekly basis, and Pat Freiermuth has earned it even if his Fantasy points don't make him look like a difference maker.

The Steelers' second-year tight end has seen 19 targets in two games since his bye and has made a huge leap in terms of yards per target, yards per catch, and yards per game on the season. In nine games he has 12 fewer targets than he saw in 16 games last year. He should be in the argument for TE3 overall. Instead, he sits at TE7 on the season because he's scored just one touchdown.

  • Week 12 Previews: QB | RB | WR

If talk of touchdown regression and Freiermuth sounds familiar, it should be. Last year he caught seven touchdown passes on 79 targets. This year he has one touchdown on 67 targets. If that doesn't teach you that a player's recent touchdown rate does not project his future touchdown rate, I'm not sure what would, although I do have one more example:

Cole Kmet didn't score a touchdown in 28 games from Week 13 of 2020 through Week 7 of this season. He scored five touchdowns from Week 8 through Week 10. Don't let Freiermuth's bad touchdown luck this season mask his breakout. He's a top-five tight end in redraft and Dynasty.

Here's everything else you need to know about tight end in Week 12:

Week 12 TE Preview
TE Preview
Who's Out

The following players are not being projected to play Week 12 at this time. Here's what it means:

CHI Chicago • #7
Age: 29 • Experience: 8 yrs.
The Chargers have a great matchup against Arizona, but I wouldn't start any Chargers tight end if Everett is out.
TE Preview
Numbers to Know
  • 5 -- Five touchdowns in five games for Juwan Johnson. Typically those come by chance, but Johnson's knack for the end zone has him as a viable starting tight end.  
  • 9 -- T.J. Hockenson has at least nine targets in each of his three games as a Viking. 
  • 1 -- Catch for Jack Stoll in the first game without Dallas Goedert. There probably won't be a Fantasy relevant tight end for the Eagles without Goedert. 
  • 3 -- Robert Tonyan hasn't had more than three catches in three straight games. He can't be trusted unless he finds the end zone, which he's only done once this year. 
  • 73.5% -- Trey McBride ran a route on 73.5% of Cardinals drop backs on Monday night in the first game without Zach Ertz. It resulted in McBride catching all four of his targets for 14 yards.
TE Preview
Matchups that matter
NO New Orleans • #82
Age: 26 • Experience: 6 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ SEA SEA -3.5 O/U 47.5
OPP VS TE
31st
PROJ PTS
9
TE RNK
17th
YTD Stats
REC
21
TAR
34
REYDS
251
TD
1
FPTS/G
6.3
BUF Buffalo • #88
Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ DET BUF -9.5 O/U 54
OPP VS TE
29th
PROJ PTS
9.8
TE RNK
11th
YTD Stats
REC
31
TAR
40
REYDS
310
TD
2
FPTS/G
8.2
NYJ N.Y. Jets • #83
Age: 28 • Experience: 7 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs CHI NYJ -4.5 O/U 39.5
OPP VS TE
7th
PROJ PTS
8.4
TE RNK
16th
YTD Stats
REC
35
TAR
53
REYDS
331
TD
3
FPTS/G
8.6
CHI Chicago • #85
Age: 25 • Experience: 5 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ NYJ NYJ -4.5 O/U 39.5
OPP VS TE
14th
PROJ PTS
8.5
TE RNK
7th
YTD Stats
REC
26
TAR
37
REYDS
309
TD
5
FPTS/G
8
TE Preview
Waiver Wire Targets
Week 12 Streamers (TE Preview)
NO New Orleans • #83
Age: 27 • Experience: 5 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ SF SF -9 O/U 43
OPP VS TE
5th
TE RNK
9th
ROSTERED
38%
YTD Stats
REC
31
TAR
47
REYDS
349
TD
5
FPTS/G
8.7
It's not just touchdowns for Johnson. He has more than 40 yards in three straight games. Since Week 6 he's the No. 3 tight end in Fantasy with 73 Fantasy points.
NYJ N.Y. Jets • #83
Age: 28 • Experience: 7 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs CHI NYJ -4.5 O/U 39.5
OPP VS TE
7th
TE RNK
16th
ROSTERED
35%
YTD Stats
REC
35
TAR
53
REYDS
331
TD
3
FPTS/G
8.6
If the Jets do in fact bench Zach Wilson, I'll feel even better about starting Conklin. He's been entirely dependent on the Jets pass volume, and that's been higher when anyone other than Wilson starts.
TE Preview
DFS Plays
Top DFS Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
KC Kansas City • #87
Age: 34 • Experience: 12 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs LAR KC -14.5 O/U 44
OPP VS TE
6th
PROJ PTS
20.8
TE RNK
1st
YTD Stats
REC
69
TAR
94
REYDS
855
TD
11
FPTS/G
22.3
I say it almost every week, but it remains true. Travis Kelce is too big of an advantage to punt this position. Find value somewhere else. Kelce has scored 7.3 FPPG more than any other tight end this season.
Contrarian DFS Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
BAL Baltimore • #89
Age: 28 • Experience: 7 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ JAC BAL -4 O/U 43.5
OPP VS TE
11th
PROJ PTS
15.3
TE RNK
2nd
YTD Stats
REC
48
TAR
72
REYDS
551
TD
5
FPTS/G
14.9
Most people are going to pay up for Kelce or try to play a cheap tight end and luck into a touchdown. Stacking Andrews with Lamar Jackson will be my contrarian go-to this week. They should come in at sub-10% roster rate together and they have the upside to be the No. 1 option at both positions.
TE Preview
Heath's Projections