With Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season kicking off on Thursday night, it’s time to overthink every aspect of your roster, including tight ends. Two of the NFL’s premier tight ends are facing off tonight in Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce, but many managers will be considering streamers.
Let’s take a look at the projected top 35 TEs in Week 1 (via fantasy.nfl.com):
Week 1 Tight Ends: Rankings by Projections (HPPR)
- #1, Travis Kelce, Chiefs (vs. Ravens) – 11.81
- #2, Sam LaPorta, Lions (vs. Rams) – 11.73
- #3, Mark Andrews, Ravens (@ Chiefs) – 9.73
- #4, Dalton Kincaid, Bills (vs. Cardinals) – 9.47
- #5, Trey McBride, Cardinals (@ Bills) – 9.35
- #6, Kyle Pitts, Falcons (vs. Steelers) – 9.35
- #7, George Kittle, 49ers (vs. Jets) – 9.34
- #8, Evan Engram, Jaguars (@ Dolphins) – 8.51
- #9, Jake Ferguson, Cowboys (@ Browns) – 8.41
- #10, David Njoku, Browns (vs. Cowboys) – 8.39
- #11, Dallas Goedert, eagles (vs. Packers) – 7.67
- #12, Dalton Schultz, Texans (@ Colts) – 7.23
- #13, Brock Bowers, Raiders (@ Chargers) – 7.13
- #14, Cole Kmet, Bears (vs. Titans) -6.59
- #15, Noah Fant, Seahawks (vs. Broncos) – 6.52
- #16, Cade Otton, Buccaneers (vs. Commanders) – 6.48
- #17, Pat Freiermuth, Steelers (@ Falcons) -6.13
- #18, Tyler Conklin, Jets (@ 49ers) – 5.96
- #19, Hunter Henry, Patriots (@ Bengals) 5.96
- #20, Colby Parkinson, Rams (@ Lions) – 5.90
- #21, Taysom Hill, Saints (vs. Panthers) – 5.80
- #22, Jonnu Smith, Dolphins (vs. Jaguars) – 5.78
- #23, Juwan Johnson, Saints (vs. Panthers) – 5.53
- #24, Luke Musgrave, Packers (@ Eagles) – 5.23
- #25, Johnny Mundt, Vikings (@ Giants) – 4.94
- #26, Hayden Hurst, Chargers (vs. Raiders) – 4.72
- #27, Chig Okonkwo, Titans (@ Bears) – 4.56
- #28, Greg Dulcich, Broncos (@ Seahawks) – 4.49
- #29, Isaiah Likely, Ravens (@ Chiefs) – 4.47
- #30, Tucker Kraft, Packers (@Eagles) – 4.35
- #31, Foster Moreau, Saints (vs. Panthers) – 4.17
- #32, Dawson Knox, Bills (vs. Cardinals) – 4.10
- #33, Kylen Granson, Colts (vs. Texans) – 4.02
- #34, Michael Mayer, Raiders (@ Chargers) – 3.84
- #35, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Panthers (@ Saints) – 3.74
Week 1 Tight Ends: 3 streamers to consider on opening weekend
#1, Mike Gesicki, Bengals (vs. Patriots) – 1.7% rostered
Looking at these rankings many questions spring to mind. The Commanders don’t have a TE in the projected top 35, and nor do the Cincinnati Bengals. More on Washington later, but for now, Mike Gesicki could be a storyline in Cincinnati.
The Bengals face the Patriots in Week 1 in what could be a statement game for both teams. New England is expected to lose a lot of games in 2024, while Cincinnati has serious aspirations.
While Joe Burrow has not exactly looked to his tight ends as often as his elite WRs, last season saw him struggle with injuries before being shut down with a wrist issue. Burrow’s 2023 numbers have a lot of people sleeping on Bengals weapons, which is clear in Gesicki’s projections.
Mike Gesicki is a receiving tight end with real upside and the Patriots are about as favorable a matchup as you can get in Week 1. Add into that an elite QB and a fresh start, and the pieces are there for him to massively outperform his 3.05 projections in HPPR leagues,
#2, Greg Dulcich, Broncos (@ Seahawks) – 0.9% rostered
Greg Dulcich suffered hamstring injuries which effectively cost him the 2023 season. The effects of this could be argued to have not only hampered the Broncos but factored into the decision to pay Russell Wilson to play for the Steelers.
Dulcich is behind Adam Trautman on the depth chart but feels a better bet in fantasy football. Greg Dulcich is a very good receiving tight end and his 4.49-point projections are mostly caused by a combination of doubts.
Rather than an injury, these doubts factor from the Denver QB room, headlined by rookie Bo Nix. It is often said that a tight end is a rookie QB’s best friend, so it would not be a surprise to hear Dulcich’s name a few times on Sunday.
The Broncos face the Seahawks in what promises to be a hostile atmosphere for a rookie debut, and you can envision Denver creating some easy looks involving Dulcich to get Nix’s confidence up. Given that Dulcich has a knack for escaping coverage and appearing downfield in space, he is worth at least a look.
#3, Zach Ertz, Commanders (@ Buccaneers) – 3.0% rostered
Zach Ertz is projected a surprisingly low 2.71 points in HPPR leagues in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. This is likely a combination of a new start in Washington, a history of ACL/MCL injuries (plus a quad issue that shut him down in Week 7, 2023), his age (33) and a rookie QB in Jayden Daniels.
Nevertheless, Ertz is certainly worth the risk as he has a history of being one of the league’s best tight ends and in the same way as Greg Dulcich, could be a crutch for Daniels to lean on in Week 1.
A game against the Buccaneers could work nicely, as while everything can change in an offseason, Tampa Bay did allow the second most points to tight ends in 2023, as well as 8 TDs.