Tight end is always one of the most scarce positions in fantasy football. Identifying which TE could be in line for increased work or which have favorable matchups is a significant aspect of evaluating who to start and who to sit. In our Week 1 fantasy TE PPR rankings, we've identified a few for you. As always, the top tier of Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Darren Waller headline the list.
While matchups will seldom drop our top three guys out of their elite rankings, the rest of the tight ends can be heavily affected by who they're playing. Especially after the top 10, the waters get very murky. However, you can't even really count on all of the top 10. The cutoff really seems to happen around TE5 or TE6.
WEEK 1 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | D/ST | Kicker
Additionally, after about the top 10, the rankings are somewhat of a calculated crapshoot. A mere touchdown can bolster a tight end ranked at 35 to produce a top-15 finish at the position in a given week. Throw in the unpredictability of targets in Week 1, and can be exceedingly tough to know who to start. Many people opt to stream tight ends if they can't land one of the top guys, and that process often starts in Week 1.
WEEK 1 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, Sit 'em
The best thing you can do is make an educated guess or projection and roll with it. We'll do our best to help you with that process, and we've got you covered for the initial week of the regular season.
WEEK 1 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
In our preseason TE PPR rankings, Waller sits at No. 2 rather than Kittle. However, we give the edge to Kittle this week given he goes against an atrocious Lions defense. While Waller faces a stifling defense versus Baltimore, he's still going to be the focal point of the offense. Logan Thomas is among our biggest risers in PPR from standard, due to the heavy target volume we expect to carry over into 2021, especially with an upgrade at QB (yes Ryan Fitzpatrick).
WEEK 1 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | Yahoo | FanDuel
We'll be updating these TE PPR rankings as needed throughout the week, so check back for the latest changes and analysis. For individual analysis of key TEs, click here.
MORE WEEK 1 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup Builder
Fantasy TE PPR Rankings Week 1: Who to start at tight end
Rankings are based on full-point PPR scoring formats
Individual analysis will be added early next week and updated throughout the week to reflect any changes to the rankings.
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Travis Kelce, KC vs. CLE |
| 2 | George Kittle, SF @ DET |
| 3 | Darren Waller, LV vs. BAL |
| 4 | T.J. Hockenson, DET vs. SF |
| 5 | Mark Andrews, BAL @ LV |
| 6 | Logan Thomas, WAS vs. LAC |
| 7 | Kyle Pitts, ATL vs. PHI |
| 8 | Dallas Goedert, PHI @ ATL |
| 9 | Tyler Higbee, LAR vs. CHI |
| 10 | Noah Fant, DEN @ NYG |
| 11 | Jonnu Smith, NE vs. MIA |
| 12 | Hunter Henry, NE vs MIA |
| 13 | Robert Tonyan Jr., GB vs. NO |
| 14 | Rob Gronkowski, TB vs. DAL |
| 15 | Mike Gesicki, MIA @ NE |
| 16 | Jared Cook, LAC @ WAS |
| 17 | Zach Ertz, PHI @ ATL |
| 18 | Kyle Rudolph, NYG vs. DEN |
| 19 | Gerald Everett, SEA @ IND |
| 20 | Blake Jarwin, DAL @ TB |
| 21 | Cole Kmet, CHI @ LAR |
| 22 | Anthony Firkser, TEN vs, ARI |
| 23 | Chris Herndon, MIN @ CIN |
| 24 | Eric Ebron, PIT @ BUF |
| 25 | Jimmy Graham, CHI @ LAR |
| 26 | C.J. Uzomah, CIN vs. MIN |
| 27 | Adam Trautman, NO vs. GB |
| 28 | Tyler Kroft, NYJ @ CAR |
| 29 | Dan Arnold, CAR vs. NYJ |
| 30 | Jack Doyle, IND vs. SEA |
| 31 | Dalton Schultz, DAL @ TB |
| 32 | Austin Hooper, CLE @ KC |
| 33 | Jordan Akins, HOU vs. JAX |
| 34 | Dawson Knox, BUF vs. PIT |
| 35 | Pat Freiermuth, PIT @ BUF |
| 36 | Hayden Hurst, ATL vs. PHI |
| 37 | Mo Alie-Cox, IND vs. SEA |