Fantasy football: Strange, Ertz among 4 must-start Week 4 tight ends

MIAMI, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Brenton Strange and Zach Ertz are among my four must-start fantasy football tight ends for Week 4.

Brock Bowers leads my Top 20 tight end rankings, which are listed below. My Week 4 quarterback, running back and wide receiver rankings also are available. These positional rankings will be updated based on developments, including injuries.

Cole Kmet and Dalton Schultz join Strange and Ertz as my must-start options. Dallas Goedert, Travis Kelce, Kmet and Kyle Pitts join Bowers in my Top 5.

Those with stock in Trey McBride, George Kittle, Sam LaPorta, Evan Engram and David Njoku should monitor their injury status before plugging them into starting lineups.

Cole Kmet

Kmet is my No. 4 play for Week 4. The Chicago Bears playmaker erupted for 10 catches for 97 yards and a score in Week 3. He entered that game with just five catches for 31 yards through his first two appearances.

This week, the Bears will face a Los Angeles Rams defense that allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends so far this season. Kmet proved last week that he doesn't necessarily need a touchdown to provide fantasy football value, but I like his chances to find the end zone in this matchup.

Look for Kmet to haul in at least six catches for 75 yards, in addition to a score.

Dalton Schultz

Schultz has yet to reach the end zone this season and is dealing with an ankle injury, but I would put him in your starting lineup if he is active for Week 4. The Houston Texans pass catcher drew 11 targets through his first three games, but secured just seven of those looks.

I expect the Week 4 matchup between the Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars to be high scoring, with Schultz hauling in one of quarterback C.J. Stroud's multiple touchdown passes.

The Jaguars allowed just five catches to tight ends through their first three games, but didn't face many stars at the position over that span. Schultz is a touchdown-or-bust play, but comes in at No. 7 in my rankings.

Brenton Strange

Strange is my No. 10 tight end for Week 4. The Jaguars' second-year pass catcher scored his first touchdown of the season in Week 3. He hauled in three catches for 65 yards in Week 2, while seeing more action because of an injury to Jaguars starter Evan Engram.

Monitor Engram's status before plugging Strange into your lineup. If Engram misses this game, I expect at least five catches for for 50 yards from Strange.

Zach Ertz

Like most of the aforementioned options, Ertz is a touchdown-or-bust play. The Washington Commanders veteran drew 13 targets and logged 12 catches through the first three weeks of the season. He hauled in a season-high five catches in Week 3. This week, the Commanders will face the Arizona Cardinals in what should be another high-scoring game.

Look for Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to continue to lean on this veteran, especially on third downs. Ertz should haul in at least four catches and eclipse 40 yards in this game. He will likely end the week as a Top 10 play if he finds the end zone.

Week 4 fantasy football tight end rankings

1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders vs. CLE

2. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles at TB

3. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs at LAC

4. Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears vs. LAR

5. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons vs. NO

6. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens vs. BUF

7. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans vs. JAX

8. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills at BAL

9. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars at HOU

10. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys at NYG

11. Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders at ARI

12. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers at IND

13. Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals at CAR

14. Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks at DET

15. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots at SF

16. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints at ATL

17. Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans at MIA

18. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens vs. BUF

19. Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams at CHI

20. Tyler Conklin, New York Jets vs. DEN