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Week 11 DFS: Tight End Report

Three of the top four tight ends in Week 8 finished first, second, and third in Week 10. T.J. Hockenson posted an elite game (11/134/1), propelling him over Travis Kelce in year-long rankings. Trey McBride (8/131) took home the silver medal, followed by George Kittle (3/116/1). No other tight end scored more than 16.50 fantasy points. Here are the top five players after 10 weeks ranked by scoring average in PPR formats:

• T.J. Hockenson (16.21)
• Travis Kelce (15.63)
• Sam LaPorta (13.16)
• Mark Andrews (13.11)
• George Kittle (11.81)

Here are the top plays this week via the Week 11 DFS: Tight End Report. Also, check out the Week 11 DFS: QB Report.

Top Tier Options

George Kittle, SF (DK – $6,400/FD – $7,000)

In two of Kittle’s three best games, he only had four targets in each matchup. The first score was driven by touchdowns (3/67/3), and the second came from hitting on a 66-yard touchdown (3/116/1), with two other catches gaining at least 20 yards. His best opportunity (11 targets) came in a chaser game in Week 8 (9/149). Over his last three games, Kittle averaged 21.17 fantasy points in DraftKings scoring.

Tampa Bay sits 22nd vs. tight ends (53/514/2 on 78 targets). Their two touchdowns allowed came over the last three weeks, with Dalton Schultz drilling them for 10 catches for 130 yards and one touchdown. One other team (MIN – 11/67) had double targets, and five more offenses posted at least five catches.

Kittle has a higher salary than his overall chances (5.2 targets per game) compared to the best tight ends in the game. His yards per catch (16.0) create an edge, and he scored 11 times over his last 20 starts. Kittle is trending higher, but his impact value requires more targets. I view him as more of an option in a 49ers’ passing stack.

Sam LaPorta, DET (DK – $5,800/FD – $6,700)

Over the first nine games, LaPorta has a definable trend in the DFS market. He scored four touchdowns over four matchups at home (5/63, 8/84/1, 3/47/2, and 8/57/1), leading to 18.28 fantasy points per game. Away from Detroit, LaPorta has yet to deliver a playable outcome (5/39, 4/56, 4/36, 6/52, and 4/40) despite having a floor of four catches. Over his nine starts, LaPorta averages 7.1 targets and 10.1 yards per catch.

Chicago struggled vs. tight ends in four contests (KC – 8/78/1, WAS – 12/105/1, LAC – 5/52/2, and NO – 10/65/2). They rank 27th in tight end defense (65/516/6 on 80 targets). Tight ends gain short yards per catch (7.9), which is overcome by a high catch rate (81.3). 

His resume at home and scoring ability give him a chance to…

 

WHO ELSE DOES SHAWN THINK ARE MUST-PLAY OPTIONS THIS WEEK?…

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2023  Houston Texans Outlook

The 2023 NFL season is right around the corner and that means fantasy football drafts are underway. Before you assemble your championship dynasty, redraft, or high-stakes squad, FullTime Fantasy members will have an in-depth, player-by-player preview of all 32 teams from football legend Shawn Childs.

Also, check out Jody Smith’s NFL offensive line rankings and exclusive 2023 Strength of Schedule analysis.

Up next in our extensive NFL and fantasy football preview series is Shawn’s deep dive into the 2023 Houston Texans Outlook.

— Offense —

Houston ran the ball 40.7% of the time last season due to losing in many games. Despite needing to chase on the scoreboard, they averaged only 34.1 passes per game. Overall, the Texans had the worst offense in the league in combined yards. A new coaching staff and rookie quarterback should help Houston push higher up the offensive rankings in 2023.

— Quarterback —

C.J. Stroud

Over his two seasons as a starter in college, Stroud passed for 8,123 yards over 25 games with 85 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His completion rate (69.3) graded well while averaging 9.8 yards per pass attempt. Over this span, Stroud offers minimal value in the run game (79/88).

He passed for more than 400 yards in five matchups (484/3, 406/5, 405/2, 432/6, and 573/6) in 2021. Last season, Stroud failed to reach that threshold in any matchup despite delivering four more touchdowns in seven games.

Fantasy Outlook: The Texans have an 11-38-1 record over the past three seasons. Their rebuild process starts with better quarterback play, and their 2023 coaching staff invested in Stroud. He will be behind center in Week 1 if his training camp goes well. In the early draft season in the high-stakes market, Stroud is the 26th-ranked quarterback.

Davis Mills

Mills passed for 3,468 yards with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over his final 13 games at Stanford. His completion rate (65.5) and yards per pass attempt (7.9) ranked well. He finished his college career with 63 rushes for 86 yards and three touchdowns. 

Mills is a pocket passer with the arm to deliver passes on time all over the field. However, his lack of experience hinders his pocket presence and reading defenses. Mills projects to have a higher ceiling while needing to prove he can handle surveying the whole field and maintain toughness under duress in the pocket.

In his first season with Houston, Mills went 2-9 over 13 games. He passed for 2,664 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while offering strength in his completion rate (66.8). His best play passing the ball came in four home starts (312/3, 310/2, 331/1, and 301/3). Unfortunately, Mills gained only 6.8 yards per pass attempt with 31 sacks.

His game regressed in his second year with the Texans. Mills saw his completion rate (61.0) fall while tossing 15 passes to the other team. He finished with 3,226 combined yards over 15 games with 19 touchdowns. Mills passed for fewer than 200 yards in eight of his matchups while passing for more than 300 yards in one game (319/1). His best fantasy outcome came in Week 18 (298/3).

Fantasy Outlook: Mills has 26 career starts, giving him the inside track to start for Houston in Week 1. He gained more than 20 yards on 17.1% of his 292 completion in 2022, despite gaining only 6.5 yards per pass for the year. From a fantasy perspective, Mills will be found in the free-agent pool in most formats.

Other Options: Case Keenum

— Running Backs —

For the second consecutive season, the running back position had a significant role in the Texans’ offense. They finished with 438 touches (462 in 2021), despite gaining only 3.8 yards per rush and 5.4 yards per catch. Their back gained 1,805 combined yards with eight touchdowns and 98 catches, or 19.21 FPPG in PPR formats.

Dameon Pierce

The Gators used Pierce as a change-of-pace runner over four seasons. He rushed for 1,806 yards and 23 touchdowns on 329 carries in his career, with his best value coming in 2021 (100/574/13). His play in the passing game improved over the past two years (17/156/1 and 19/216/3) while gaining 10.3 yards per catch.

Pierce has a unique running style with short jabby steps in traffic. When given a free run, his strides open up, leading to acceleration and sneaky speed over the short areas of the field. He runs through contact with the vision to make good decisions in space. Pierce brings strength to the table while lacking difference-maker acceleration over the long field. However, he has a feel for open space in the passing game.

In his rookie seasons, he gained 1,104 combined yards with five touchdowns and 30 catches over 13 games. Pierce ranked 26th in running back scoring (168.40) in PPR formats. His best run came from Week 3 and Week 5 (60/310/3 with 11 catches for 43 yards). He lost his mojo in Week 11 (17 combined yards with two catches) and Week 12 (16 combined yards with three catches) while failing to score more than 16.00 fantasy points in his final eight starts. Pierce missed the last four weeks with an ankle injury.

Fantasy Outlook: Houston upgraded their backup running back in the offseason, pointing to fewer chances in 2023. Pierce ranks 20th in the early draft season at running back. I’ll pencil him in for 60% of the rushing opportunity and about half of the pass-catching chances. My starting point is 1,000 combined yards with five to seven scores and 25 catches.

Devin Singletary

In his third season with the Bills, Singletary emerged as their top running back by snap count (830 – 63.0%). He finished with a career-high in touches (228), combined yards (1,098), touchdowns (8), and catches (40). Singletary ranked 19th in running scoring (198.00) in PPR leagues. His best value came over his final seven games (630 combined yards with nine touchdowns and 21 catches) on 18.1 touches per game. His risk comes from his low bar and production over his first 12 games (99.3 fantasy points – 8.28 per game).

Last year, Singletary posted almost identical stats (1,099 combined yards with six touchdowns and 38 catches) as 2021 on 215 touches. He slipped to 23rd in running back scoring (180.90 fantasy points). He scored more than 20.00 fantasy points in two games (24.10 and 20.50), but Singletary posted fewer than 10.00 fantasy points in nine contests.

Fantasy Outlook: The downgrade in the overall offense will lead to…

 

 

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT OUT OF THE TEXANS IN 2023?

To finish reading Shawn’s in-depth 2023 team outlook, with in-depth offseason reports, projections, and fantasy outlooks for all players

 

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