The fantasy football tight end rankings for Week 1 aren’t quite as shallow as they might have seemed during your draft, but that’s because we’re talking about one-game production vs. an entire season. Anyone can do their best Rob Gronkowski impersonation in the right matchup, and injury histories aren’t a major concern in Week 1.
However, the TE rankings could get a little shallower by kickoff on Sunday with Travis Kelce (ankle) and Zach Ertz (groin) both uncertain to play. Let’s take a look at how the overall TE rankings look for Week 1 to identify the sleepers and busts.
MORE: Week 1 fantasy football rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K
Fantasy football rankings, Week 1, TE
Of course, Rob Gronkowski is ranked No. 1 with Tom Brady beating his Deflategate suspension and taking the field against the Steelers. Gronk would have been ranked No. 1 regardless, but he’s looking even better now.
Jimmy Graham, Greg Olsen, Martellus Bennett and Jordan Cameron round out the top five TEs without much fanfare. You can see the full Week 1 TE rankings here.
Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz injury updates
Travis Kelce falls just outside the top five because of concerns over his sprained ankle, but we still expect him to play against the Texans. We’re not so confident in Zach Ertz, who’s still recovering from core muscle surgery last month. Ertz's fantasy owners should look elsewhere for their TE this week.
Fantasy TE sleepers for Week 1
There are three key sleepers to consider in Week 1. The Broncos' Owen Daniels (No. 9) didn’t get much love in fantasy drafts, but we know Peyton Manning loves his tight ends. The Colts' Dwayne Allen (10) was also underrated because he shares with Coby Fleener, but he still has tremendous TD upside. We also like the Chargers' Ladarius Green, who gets to fill in for Antonio Gates for the first four games. All three could be TE1s this week (and beyond).
Get your full Week 1 tight end fantasy rankings here.
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