Rob Gronkowski made his 2016 NFL season debut in Week 3. He'd been battling a hamstring injury, but got the green light against the Texans. Then the light soon turned yellow. Then the Pats went up big and ... bam ... red light. Gronk's final line: 14 plays, 1 target, 0 receptions. Goose egg for those fantasy football owners who started him. Bill Belichick doesn't care. So what about Sunday vs. the Bills? What can we expect? I expect more playing time. I expect a couple of catches. I don't expect a "Gronk" game, though. But Tom Brady returns in Week 5 when the Pats visit Cleveland. I'm going out on a limb and say the real fun begins for Gronkowski then. But what about the rest of the tight ends for this weekend? Scroll through the gallery below to see our start and sit tight end recommendations for Week 4. (Getty)
START: Coby Fleener, New Orleans Saints
Opponent: at Chargers
After a sloppy and unproductive preseason, Fleener and quarterback Drew Brees continued their out-of-sync ways over the first two games of the regular season. They connected on just 3 of 12 targets for 35 yards. Bleh. But what a difference a week makes. With the help of Atlanta's swiss cheese secondary, Fleener went for 7 catches, 109 yards and his first TD. We might get something similar in Week 4 as the Chargers aren't much better than Atlanta. (Getty)
START: Zach Miller, Chicago Bears
Opponent: vs. Lions
Miller Gronked up the Cowboys in Week 3, scoring twice on 8 grabs. Backup Brian Hoyer seems pretty comfortable in the offense, completing 64 percent of his passes for almost 400 yards in a little over 1 game. This week Chicago hosts Detroit, which can't defend the pass. The Lions have given up a league-high 10 touchdown passes and a 68 completion percentage clip. I'm in for another week of Miller time. (Getty)
START: Hunter Henry, San Diego Chargers
Opponent: vs. Saints
Antonio Gates missed Week 3, opening the door Hunter Henry, the rookie out of Arkansas. And the former Hog take advantage, catching all 5 passes thrown his way for 96 yards. Gates is still ailing and is in serious danger of missing Sunday's game vs. the Saints. That means Double H could be in line for more targets. And against New Orleans' defense, a handful of targets can go a long way. (Getty)
Also Start:
Jack Doyle, Colts, at Jaguars (in London); Dennis Pitta, Ravens, vs. Raiders
SIT: Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns
Opponent: at Redskins
Apparently only one of the 57 quarterbacks to play for the Browns since Barnidge joined the team in 2013 will throw to him consistently. OK, maybe not 57, there's been a lot of them. That QB, by the way, is Josh McCown, who is hurt. Under center now is rookie Cody Kessler (and maybe Terrelle Pryor??), who connected with Barnidge 5 times in Week 3. But I still don't trust Kessler and Barnidge to be an exclusive item. And the Redskins have been pretty effective against the tight end, allowing just 7 yards per catch. (Getty)
SIT: Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Opponent: vs. Broncos
You might not be familiar with Cameron Brate, but you should get to know him. Now that Austin Seferian-Jenkins is out of Tampa, Brate is the big winner target-wise as the tight end in Tampa's offense. He responded with 2 touchdowns last week. This Sunday will be a different story when Denver comes to Florida. The Broncos will harass Jameis Winston, who is still susceptible to mistakes when playing elite defenses. Keep an eye on Brate, though. (Getty)
Also Sit:
Martellus Bennett, Patriots, vs. Bills; Jesse James, Steelers, vs. Chiefs
Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Week 4 Tight Ends