The Week 1 fantasy TE rankings see familiar names at the top. Unlike any other position, the top-five TEs — Travis Kelce (@ Cardinals), Mark Andrews (@ Jets), Kyle Pitts (vs. Saints), George Kittle (@ 49ers), and Darren Waller (@ Chargers) — are likely to remain at or near the top of this list on a weekly basis. Given their respective target share and red-zone prowess, they are every-week starts who should never be benched for the “sleeper tight end of the week.”
The top tiers at the TE position have a much bigger drop-off to the lower tiers relative to other positions, as there aren’t enough proven TEs who are capable of putting up consistent fantasy numbers. With tight end being the most top-heavy position in fantasy, hopefully you drafted one of the aforementioned players to round out your starting lineup.
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If you didn’t, that’s fine because there are other TEs with an opportunity to break out. We could very well see someone like Irv Smith Jr. (vs. Packers), Zach Ertz (vs. Chiefs), or Dawson Knox (@ Rams) emerge as an upper-echelon TE. Knowing which teams are good/bad defending the TE position can play a part in a TEs ranking on a given week. While we don’t exactly know how teams will fare in the early season, it’s can be worthwhile to go off priors before we get new data.
Last season, the Chargers allowed the most fantasy points per game to TEs (10.8), while the Patriots allowed the fewest (4.0). Scheme and personnel are two of the bigger factors in how defenses fare against tight ends, and it’s usually something that evolves throughout the season.
Of course, it’s hard to project exactly who will have a big game as this is the point where we have the least amount of information. Moreover, it’s tough to know which TEs — especially if they’re on new teams or have new coordinators — will get featured. In Week 1, we think T.J. Hockenson (vs. Eagles) could be in line for a big week against an Eagles defense that allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to TEs in ‘21. Factor in Jared Goff’s hesitation to throw the ball downfield, and Hockenson could haul in a good deal of passes underneath. Cole Kmet (vs. 49ers) and Pat Freiermuth (@ Bengals) are in similar situations, specifically in regards to QB issues. A few other TEs who qualify as real sleepers in deep leagues are red-zone target-monster Cameron Brate (vs. Cowboys), ultra-athletic Brevin Jordan (vs. Colts), and new-starter Mo Alie-Cox (vs. Texans).
Conversely, Mike Gesicki (vs. Patriots), Noah Fant (vs. Broncos), and Tyler Higbee (vs. Bills) might be in line for a rougher first week while matched up against teams who can limit production from the tight end position. Again, we can’t say for sure that will be the case again this year, but there’s reason to be worried about all if you were planning on starting them. Likewise, be careful with Logan Thomas (knee) and Robert Tonyan (knee), both of whom are banged-up and likely “questionable” to play.
We’ll learn quite a bit about this position after just one week, so track the targets, specifically in the red zone. No one will blame you for just playing your drafted starter, but always be on the lookout for someone better if you don’t have one of those top-five guys.
We’ll be updating these standard TE rankings as needed throughout the week, so check back for the latest changes and analysis.
Week 1 fantasy TE rankings for standard leagues
Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring
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