The Week 1 Tight End rankings are here, and they are stacked! Second-year stud Sam LaPorta tops the list, followed by perennial heavyweights Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews. It’s an exciting time for the position, as tight ends are more talent-heavy than in years past. Young guns Trey McBride, Dalton Kincaid, Kyle Pitts, and Trey Ferguson will likely be top-eight staples throughout the season. But beyond that, we’ll be looking to exploit favorable matchups each week. To help with those lineup decisions, we’ll roll out weekly tight end rankings each Wednesday, accompanied by notes on some of the matchups.
Despite the positional depth, tight ends will still give fantasy managers headaches each week due to their unpredictability. Week 1 is especially tricky to rank since it’s unclear how teams will utilize their players. Usage will get clarified as the season progresses, but for now, start your studs and take advantage of those plus matchups.
Tight End Notes
- I am here for the unleashing of Kyle Pitts. Now that he’s free from the chains of Arthur Smith, Pitts could be a force to be reckoned with. Pitts should also benefit from his new quarterback. Kirk Cousins has a history of feeding his tight ends, and Pitts should see a steady volume of targets. The Steelers were a middle-of-the-pack unit against tight ends last season and allowed seven touchdowns to the position — tied for third-most. Start Pitts with confidence this week. He’s my TE5 and is a solid top-tier option in Week 1.
- I’m high on Hunter Henry this week. He gets a cushy matchup against a Bengals team that allowed 11.5 fantasy points per game and 1,080 receiving yards to tight ends, both ranked as second-most in 2023. The Patriots’ receiving corps isn’t anything to write home about, and Henry could benefit — especially in the end zone. Much of Henry’s fantasy value last season stemmed from racking up six touchdowns, tied for second-most among the position. Henry is a top-tier TE2 with TE1 upside for me in Week 1.
- Noah Fant is one of the better dart throws of the week. He gets a dream matchup against a Broncos defense that gave up the most fantasy points (12.8), receiving yards (1,091) and touchdowns (10) to tight ends last season. Fant is now the primary pass-catching tight end for the Seahawks, as Seattle let Colby Parkinson and Will Dissly walk. Additionally, Seattle is expected to pass more under new OC Ryan Grubb, which could result in even more targets for the tight end. Fant could go wild against his former team and is a solid TE2 in Week 1.
- Brock Bowers should be a beast this season, but I’m not sure we’ll see it in Week 1. Bowers has been dealing with a foot injury for the past few weeks and had no snaps with quarterback Gardner Minshew during the preseason. The lack of rapport with his quarterback isn’t ideal, especially for a rookie. I’m taking a cautious approach with Bowers this week, ranking him as my TE21 in the Week 1 tight end rankings. Admittedly, that could be way too low. But I’d rather take shots on tight ends with more favorable opportunities like Zach Ertz or Noah Fant this week.
Week 1 Tight End Rankings
Make sure to check out all of our Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings and analysis!
Note: Ranks are based on half-PPR scoring
| Rnk | Player | Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam LaPorta | DET | LAR |
| 2 | Travis Kelce | KC | BAL |
| 3 | Mark Andrews | BAL | @KC |
| 4 | Trey McBride | ARI | @BUF |
| 5 | Kyle Pitts | ATL | PIT |
| 6 | Dalton Kincaid | BUF | ARI |
| 7 | Evan Engram | JAX | @MIA |
| 8 | George Kittle | SF | NYJ |
| 9 | Tyler Ferguson | DAL | @CLE |
| 10 | David Njoku | CLE | DAL |
| 11 | Dalton Schultz | HOU | @IND |
| 12 | Dallas Goedert | PHI | GB |
| 13 | Taysom Hill | NO | CAR |
| 14 | Hunter Henry | NE | @CIN |
| 15 | Colby Parkinson | LAR | @DET |
| 16 | Tyler Conklin | NYJ | @SF |
| 17 | Noah Fant | SEA | DEN |
| 18 | Pat Freiermuth | PIT | @ATL |
| 19 | Luke Musgrave | GB | @PHI |
| 20 | Zach Ertz | WAS | @TB |
| 21 | Brock Bowers | LVR | @LAC |
| 22 | Cade Otton | TB | WAS |
| 23 | Cole Kmet | CHI | TEN |
| 24 | Chigoziem Okonkwo | TEN | @CHI |
| 25 | Juwan Johnson | NO | CAR |
| 26 | Jonnu Smith | MIA | JAX |
| 27 | Gerald Everett | CHI | TEN |
| 28 | Mike Gesicki | CIN | NE |
| 29 | Dawson Knox | BUF | ARI |
| 30 | Hayden Hurst | LAC | LVR |
| 31 | Greg Dulcich | DEN | @SEA |
| 32 | Michael Mayer | LVR | @LAC |