In case you missed every NFL Week 8 broadcast or highlight, this past Sunday was National Tight Ends Day — a “holiday.”

This name was first used by Jimmy Garoppolo in 2018. This happened during the win against the Lions after goals from Garrett Celek and George Kittle. According to multiple reports, Kittle responded to Jimmy G.’s “What is this?” When he said that, he remembered the trio chatting on the sidelines. National Tight Ends Day?” And so a holiday was born.

Everywhere you looked on Sunday someone was bringing this up, and on nearly every play, a tight end was being celebrated in the end zone at some point. In total, 14 tight ends scored touchdowns; Kyle Pitts and Cade Otton broke the plane twice.

This was happy for the fantasy managers who invested heavily in this position. So is this a sign of things to come, or a one-off week that amounts to a temporary break?

If you’ve prepared one of the toughest endings, you’ve finally been rewarded. Pitts’ two touchdowns were an act of vindication for many, and Kittle’s 128 receiving yards capped off the day in style.

Four of the preseason starters found the end zone, and although Trey McBride didn’t throw a touchdown pass, nine catches for 124 yards is a pretty strong stat line for a position that most fantasy managers prefer to ignore.

But the question is how much of this is actually sustainable? Gamers love: Travis KelceSam LaPorta and now, after throwing for three straight weeks and finally leading the Ravens’ tight ends, Mark Andrews are the automatic starters every week. So where do we stand with the tight ends in the middle tier?

Otton and David Njoku are probably the two best candidates to maintain their current level of play. In the absence of Mike Evans or Chris Godwin, Baker Mayfield needs to lock in on someone consistent, and Otton certainly fills that void.

With Jameis Winston now tossing the rock in Cleveland, Njoku is likely to see more quality targets than he has in previous games. Both were extremely positive matchups, but a quick look at the upcoming schedule shows equally soft matchups ahead. Tucker Kraft and Evan Engram also have sustainability.

But the rest of the position remains matchup-based at best. Mike Gesicki did a good job, but only in the absence of Tee Higgins. Adam Trautman wishes he could face Carolina every week, and if you had no idea who Nate Adkins or Brock Wright were before Sunday, don’t bother finding out.

But there is additional hope on the horizon. Both TJ Hockenson and Dallas Goedert are expected to return in Week 9. Goedert will see the Jaguars, who have struggled defensively, and Hockenson will land at tight end with the Colts, who allow the third-most fantasy points per game. Maybe you can get rid of Noah Fant against the Rams.

Add those to the list of tight ends mentioned above and you could be in the top 12 even if we bid farewell to Kittle. Everyone you’ve got on the list, start those tight end prayers now.

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Howard Bender chief content officer FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him weekdays from 6 to 8 p.m. on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel. FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy football news and advice.