NFL Fantasy Football Week 7 2026 Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Tight End

This year seems to be a little better for fantasy football tight ends . And it's an important part of the process for fantasy managers . And here is a look at the NFL start 'em, sit'em for the tight end position in Week 7 of the 2026 NFL season.

There's no surprise at the top of the list. Nobody needs to be told to start Brock Bowers and George Kittle with their matchups. However, some may hesitate with Trey McBride. Don't make that mistake.

Start 'em: Cardinals' Trey McBride vs. Broncos

Yes, the Broncos have a beastly defense. And they seem to be finding their way , according to denverbroncos.com.

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"Defensively, we were magnificent," Broncos head coach Sean Payton said following the Broncos' win over the Seahawks. "I don't know how many times we hit the quarterback. We got three takeaways. We felt like that was going to be a big deal in this game, being smart with the football. Two years in a row, we beat the [reigning] Super Bowl team, and that's not easy to do."

However, McBride is a locked-in starter. It's not because the Cardinals will necessarily score a lot of points against the Broncos. But he will get targets. And he will catch passes. He's a top-five NFL player in that regard.

The best thing about McBride from a fantasy football standpoint is he takes his job seriously for 60 minutes, regardless of the score, according to azcardinals.com.

"One thing about me, I'm going to play to the end," McBride said. "I'm going to play until the game is over, and I'm going to do that every single week."

McBride is getting tons of attention from defenses. But he said he works hard through double teams.

"I've got to get open," McBride said. "I've got to give Jacoby a reason to throw me the ball. I expect them to double me. Kind of makes it a little more challenging."

The Broncos will make life tough for McBride. But he should be able to succeed.

Start 'em: Packers' Tucker Kraft at Lions

Kraft still hasn't had that breakout game this season, but this could be the week. He's further removed from last year's injury, and the Lions offer a soft defense.

Still, the Lions enter with confidence , coming off a bye, according to detroitlions.com.

"I think we are improving in areas, and I think there's still a lot of room to improve," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. "But I do think we're beginning to figure out who we are a little bit here. And we're getting some help. We're getting a little bit of help back in some areas. So, we've just got to continue to improve. That's this league, man. You're not trying to make this big jump every week. You just have to try to incrementally improve and find a way to win that game."

But Matt LaFleur knows the value of a guy like Kraft. And this seems like a good spot for him to employ higher usage against a division rival. LaFleur had some praise for Kraft recently, according to Packers.com.

"I think Tuck's what we wanna be about," LaFleur said. "I think he shows up every day and puts 100% into this thing. And he does a great job. He's obviously earned the respect from his teammates, being voted the captain. He does things the right way. You can't have enough guys like Tucker Kraft."

Start 'em: Lions' Sam LaPorta vs. Packers

Yes, we expect this game to be a shootout. That bodes well for both Kraft and LaPorta. Over the last two games, LaPorta has 13 catches for 172 yards and two scores. He has become quite a weapon in a diverse offense.

And the good thing is the Packers can't take everybody away. They will have to focus on Amon-Ra St. Brown and the receiving prowess of Jahmyr Gibbs. That means LaPorta will get his chances.

The only negative thing for LaPorta these days is his contract situation , according to ESPN.

"I don't know if it's truly off the table, but I think there's certainly a stalemate right now and I'm really giving the reigns to my agent Jack Bechta," LaPorta said. "He's been handling it with the front office, and all the advice he's given me so far is just that we haven't come to terms yet. That's about it."

Sit 'em: Giants' Isaiah Likely at Texans

It's hard to bank on Likely against a Texans defense that seems to have found its footing. Plus, there are question marks at the quarterback position. McCarthy threw for 243 yards in the fourth quarter, giving him a leg up over Jameis Winston. Perhaps.

Head coach John Harbaugh had some good words for McCarthy, according to ESPN.

"I thought he came in there and did a heck of a job given the circumstances," Harbaugh said.

Likely could thrive with either quarterback. He has had 17 catches for 193 yards and three touchdowns over the last two weeks. But that's why he's risky this week. The Texans will focus on taking him away. That will open the door more for Malik Nabers.