Fantasy football Week 9 TE preview: Kyle Pitts' must-start status is in jeopardy, and for good reason

Every week now, it seems like we are having to reevaluate the tight position in terms of who is a must-start, who is a borderline start, and who is an avoid. This week is no different. One way to look at it is by who has done what year-to-date, and in the most recent month. That's where we will start the Week 9 preview.

As a rule, I use 12 PPR Fantasy points per game as a barometer for a must-start tight end. So far this year, six tight ends have hit that mark: Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Isaiah Likely, George Kittle, Tyler Warren, and Sam LaPorta. If you wanted to call all of them must-starts, I wouldn't argue with you. Harold Fannin and Travis Kelce just miss the mark, but they are in the conversation.

Looking at the last month, you'll find Colston Loveland (14.0), Kyle Pitts (13.5), and Tucker Kraft (13.1) join the mix while LaPorta falls out. We are mostly buying the recent surge from Loveland and Kraft, and we're content to give LaPorta one more week to break out of his slump, because he's facing the Dolphins. The one that is really hard to figure is Pitts.

Since Michael Penix took over at QB, Pitts is averaging 10.5 PPR FPPG. But that is mostly about touchdowns. In the same stretch, he ranks 13th in receptions and 18th in yards at tight end despite not having a bye or missing a game. He has the same number of yards as AJ Barner and the same number of catches as Dallas Goedert, who has only played four games in the last six weeks.

All of that is to say, as big of a Pitts proponent as I was coming into the year, I don't view him as one of the must-start options and as of Tuesday afternoon, he is not one of my top 12 tight ends for Week 9. I also don't really want to drop him, so if you can't roster two tight ends, you should probably just start him and hope for a touchdown.

Here's everything else you need to know about tight end in Week 9:

TE Preview

Numbers to Know

8 -- Sam LaPorta still ranks second amongst tight ends with eight red zone targets. He should bounce back.

11.7 -- Travis Kelce scored 11.7 PPR points in Week 8, his best game since September. He is best viewed as a borderline starter, not a must-start.

26.7% -- Terrance Ferguson had a 26.7% target-per-route run rate earlier in the year. He could be back this week.

259 -- Harold Fannin's 259 routes run this season are second only to Trey McBride.

28 -- Colston Loveland has 28 targets in three games since Caleb Williams came back. He may be a league winner yet.

91.7% -- Eli Raridon played a season-high 91.7% of the snaps in Week 8.

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Waiver Wire Targets

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DFS Plays

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Heath's Projections