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Evan Engram and Kyle Pitts are two of the most popular fantasy football tight ends due to their massive upside in comparison to the rest of the position. The tight end position is often the most difficult one to navigate during each fantasy season, due to the lack of consistently productive options.
Most of the top available tight ends, such as Engram and Pitts, may carry high ceilings for many weeks, but also present dangerous floors and weekly bust potential. This makes it extremely important for fantasy managers to closely analyze their tight ends, paying specific attention to their direct weekly matchups, including the defense they are playing against.
Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season presents a legitimate debate between Engram and Pitts for fantasy football lineups. Making the decision even more interesting is that they will face off against each other in the first NFL London game of the year when the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Atlanta Falcons.
For managers debating between the two tight end options, the following breakdown should help make the decision more clear. Their projections were generated with the assistance of Sportskeeda's Start/Sit Optimizer, taking all of the various factors into close consideration.
Is Evan Engram a good pick in fantasy football Week 4?
In his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars after starting his career with the New York Giants, Evan Engram put together a strong 2022 campaign. He appeared in every game last year, compiling an impressive eight top 12 tight end finishes in fantasy football PPR league, including a TE1 finish in Week 14 against the Tennessee Titans. This put him solidly on the radar as a valuable tight end target in fantasy drafts ahead of the 2023 NFL season.
The one thing that kept some managers away from drafting him this year was the addition of Calvin Ridley to the Jaguars' roster. The elite wide receiver was clearly brought in to be their WR1 and would in turn command a bunch of targets to maximize his value in their offense.
Many fantasy managers worried that this would take away some of Engram's upside, especially considering he was only able to score four touchdowns last year and that's when he wasn't competing with Ridley for target share.
Three games into the 2023 fantasy football season, the managers that faded him during their drafts are likely regretting it as he has quietly been one of the best and most consistent tight ends this year so far. He has finished among the top seven tight ends in PPR leagues in each of his three games this year, despite not scoring a single touchdown yet.
Entering Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons, Engram currently ranks as the TE5 this year based on total fantasy points scored. He has done so by playing in more than 70 percent of the Jaguars' total offensive snaps, recording 18 receptions on 21 targets for 173 yards along the way. There's also good reason to believe that he could have a bigger game this week than usual, considering his matchup.
The Falcons' defense has struggled to slow down opposing tight ends this year, currently allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to the position. In comparison, they have thrived at shutting down wide receivers, allowing the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to the position.
This means quarterback Trevor Lawrence is likely to look Engram's way often to exploit his most favorable matchup in their passing game.
Also Read: Early Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Week 4
Is Kyle Pitts a good pick in fantasy football Week 4?
Kyle Pitts was one of the most frustrating overall fantasy football players, regardless of position, during the 2022 NFL season last year. While his four top 15 finishes in 10 games were relatively solid, his projection metrics suggested that he should have been able to post much stronger numbers.
He ranked among the best tight ends in most important categories for predicting success, such as air yards, target share and route percentage – among many others.
His elite numbers in these categories suggested that much better days should be in store for Pitts during the 2023 NFL season. Many fantasy football managers took notice of this and still felt strongly about his fantasy outlook this year, and rightfully so, despite the relatively disappointing campaign last year following his sky-high expectations.
Also Read: Fantasy Football 2023: Sleeper Tight Ends
The elite upside is clearly still there, but so far the 2023 season has been much of the same outcome for Kyle Pitts. His production through three games includes nine receptions on 17 targets for 100 yards.
He has failed to record better than TE16 finish in any week of the 2023 fantasy football season so far, despite once again posting some of the top predictive metrics of any player in the position.
Pitts currently ranks as the TE4 in expected fantasy points, partially due to leading all tight ends in route percentage and ranking eighth in target share. Unfortunately for his fantasy football managers, this has somehow equated to just being the TE18 so far. All of his numbers suggest he's due for a major breakout, and he has been for a while, but it just hasn't happened quite yet.
His next chance to do so comes in Week 4 when the Falcons face off against the Jaguars in the first NFL London game of the year. He has an excellent matchup as the Jags are currently allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends.
The Falcons usually prefer to rely on their running backs as much as possible, but it will be difficult for them to do so in this matchup, with the Jaguars allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to the position.
This means that Atlanta may have to pass the ball in this game more than they usually do, and paired with the Jaguars' struggles to cover tight ends, Kyle Pitts makes for a high-upside option this week.
For managers looking to acquire Evan Engram or Kyle Pitts this week, make sure to reference the fantasy football trade analyzer first.
Evan Engram vs. Kyle Pitts: Who should I start in Week 4?
According to the Optimizer, Evan Engram makes for a better tight end option than Kyle Pitts in fantasy football lineups for Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season. His expected volume is the biggest reason why, as he's projected to record more than one full extra reception, this is enough to give Engram the edge this week, especially in PPR leagues.
It's also important to note that each option possesses a high ceiling in a favorable matchup this week, as both opposing defenses struggle to cover up tight ends. Where Engram holds a significant advantage is in his floor.
While Pitts carries a dangerously low floor, Engram's solidly consistent production this year makes his much safer. He has finished among the top seven tight ends in all three weeks this year, demonstrating his reliable value.
