Week 1 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings - Trey McBride, T.J. Hockenson, Travis Kelce, David Njoku, Tucker Kraft, Hunter Henry, Kyle Pitts, more

August 22, 2025

RotoBaller's updated Week 1 fantasy football tight end rankings for 2025. Set your optimal lineups with our fantasy football Week 1 TE rankings and tiers.

Whether you're deciding who to draft or who to start, tight ends are always the trickiest position to navigate. We're here to assist with our updated Week 1 fantasy football tight end rankings for 2025. In the table below, you will see where key TEs like Trey McBride, T.J. Hockenson, Travis Kelce, David Njoku, Tucker Kraft, Hunter Henry, Kyle Pitts Sr., and more stand for the opening slate of the new NFL campaign.

Our team never stops covering all things fantasy football -- so be sure to also check out our 2025 best ball fantasy football rankings, 2025 dynasty fantasy football rankings, and 2025 NFL rookie fantasy football rankings. Whatever you're interested in, we've got you covered.

Our TE fantasy football rankings for Week 1 are assembled by Nick Mariano. In addition to our staff rankings, below you will find a summary of this week's important fantasy football injury news. There are always critical injuries to track, so check back until kickoff.

Week 1 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings

Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings 

Recent Tight End Fantasy Football News

Mason Taylor, New York Jets

New York Jets rookie tight end Mason Taylor has impressed coaches throughout preseason, positioning himself for a major role in the passing game. At 6'5" and 251 pounds, Taylor brings the physicality to hold up as a blocker while flashing reliable hands as a receiver.

His ability to contribute in both phases makes him an ideal safety valve for quarterback Justin Fields, who will lean on quick reads in a new-look offense. Taylor carries late-round sleeper appeal in fantasy drafts, with the upside to emerge as a consistent starter if his preseason momentum translates into regular-season production.

Tommy Tremble, Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble (back) was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Thursday, according to Darin Gantt of Panthers.com. Gantt writes that the team is hopeful that Tremble will be able to play in Week 1 after undergoing back surgery in May.

The 25-year-old is entering his fifth season with the Panthers and has recorded exactly 32 targets and 23 receptions in each of the past two years. Tremble is not a fantasy-relevant tight end, but he's a valuable player to Carolina because of his run-blocking ability. He threatens to vulture snaps and targets away from Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders, who offers far more upside as a receiver.

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. has been studying historically elite quarterback/tight end relationships and wants to foster that with Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr., according to ESPN's Marc Raimondi. Raimondi says that this is a noteworthy change from how Pitts has spoken about the quarterbacks he has played with in the past. In the three games that Penix Jr. started for the Falcons in 2024, Pitts was targeted 10 times and hauled in seven catches for 65 yards and a touchdown.

The 24-year-old tight end remains one of the most physically gifted players at his position, and he may have an opportunity for increased targets early in the season with Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder) currently sidelined. Pitts profiles as a fringe TE1 for fantasy with solid upside but a very low floor.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton said he hopes to remain with the team long-term, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. The big tight end is approaching the final year of his rookie contract and is coming off the best season of his career from a receiving standpoint, compiling 59 receptions for 600 yards and four touchdowns in 2024.

Tampa still rosters receiver Mike Evans, inked a three-year deal with receiver Chris Godwin, and drafted Emeka Egbuka earlier this year, so Otton's consistency as a pass catcher with Tampa looks to be in question. At any rate, he's scheduled to hit the open market next year unless a new deal comes to fruition.

Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals tight ends Mike Gesicki (hamstring) and Drew Sample (undisclosed) are considered day-to-day and could play in the team's preseason finale on Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts if they are needed, according to The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. We'd be surprised if Gesicki actually played this weekend, but he should be just fine for the Week 1 regular-season opener against the division-rival Cleveland Browns in the first week of September.

Noah Fant could take some looks away from Gesicki in two-tight end sets in 2025, but the full expectation is that Gesicki will remain the team's No. 1 pass-catcher at the position. The 29-year-old had 65 catches for 665 yards and only two touchdowns in 17 games in his first year in Cincinnati and should be viewed as a low-end TE2 target in an offense with an elite 1-2 receiver punch in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins have activated recently acquired tight end Darren Waller from the Physically Unable to Perform list. The Dolphins traded a 2026 6th-round pick to the New York Giants in July for Waller and a conditional 7th. Waller came out of retirement to join the Dolphins after Miami traded incumbent tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Waller turns 33 in September, and he has been out of football for over a year, last seeing game action with the Giants in the 2023 season.

Should the Dolphins' offense operate anything like it did last season, there will be ample opportunity for Waller to eventually work the short-to-intermediate area of the field where Smith saw the majority of his 109 targets, good enough for 4th amongst tight ends. While Waller's game was always at its best when his trademark athleticism was used to stretch the field, it remains to be seen just how much juice he has left. However, a safety valve role for Tua Tagovailoa could create enough of a floor to keep Waller fantasy relevant one more time.

Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (undisclosed) returned to training camp practice on Tuesday, according to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. LaPorta has been held out of practices recently with a minor undisclosed issue, but it was never considered serious. It's unclear if he'll make his debut this preseason in the finale on Saturday against the Houston Texans. The 24-year-old former second-rounder (34th overall) in 2023 out of Iowa put himself on the fantasy map right away in his rookie campaign with an 86-889-10 line in 17 games (14 starts).

He took a slight step backwards in his sophomore season with a 60-726-7 line in 16 regular-season starts. LaPorta has plenty of competition in a still stacked Lions offense which will be run by new offensive coordinator John Morton. However, in one of the top offenses in the league, LaPorta should be considered a top-five fantasy TE.

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