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RotoBaller's tight end fantasy football rankings for Week 1 (2026). Set winning fantasy lineups with our Week 1 TE rankings for fantasy football leagues.
Whether you're set to take part in a fantasy draft or are setting early Week 1 lineups, draft decisions and start-sit calls are always tricky at tight end. That's where we come in, with our early Week 1 tight end fantasy football rankings for 2026. We've seen TEs break out at younger ages in recent seasons, so no player on the fantasy radar should be ignored.
In the rankings below, find out where key pass-catchers such as Tyler Warren, Travis Kelce, Harold Fannin Jr., Isaiah Likely, Mark Andrews, Tucker Kraft, Kyle Pitts Sr., and more stand, among others, for Week 1.
Our TE fantasy football rankings for Week 1 are assembled by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will find a summary of this week's important TE fantasy football news. There are always critical injuries and updates to track, so check back until kickoff.
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Week 1 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings
Rankings are updated until kickoff. Be sure to bookmark our weekly PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and Standard rankings.
Recent Fantasy Football Tight End News
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In a joint practice with the Jets on Wednesday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton had one of his most productive days of the summer, cluing in onlookers to the role he can serve in this Zac Robinson offense. Buccaneers staff writer Brianna Dix praised Otton for the presence he brings to all three levels of the field and his ability to uncover through savvy route-running and strong spatial understanding.
Otton has never boasted the highest ceiling for fantasy, and even with the team's receiving core struck by injury in 2025, he caught only one touchdown in 16 games, but he provides enough of a weekly floor to keep him in the streaming conversation, having caught exactly 59 passes in each of the past two seasons. Otton is RotoBaller's TE28 and profiles as a no-frills TE2 in deeper leagues or a player who will likely provide viability off the waiver wire as injuries and bye weeks start piling up.
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride's 126 receptions in 2025 were a single-season positional record, while his 252.9 half-PPR fantasy points were almost 90 more than the next closest tight end, but new head coach Mike LaFleur indicated on Wednesday a belief that the first-team All-Pro still has room for growth. "Here was your route tree since you've been here... What can we expand off it?" he recounted to the media. "I think he can have maybe a deeper intermediate route tree."
Among 53 tight ends with at least 25 targets in 2025, McBride's 9.8 yards per reception ranked 34th, and while his underneath work allowed him to dominate in PPR leagues, the addition of more explosive plays could raise his ceiling even higher in 2026. The two-time Pro Bowler is RotoBaller's TE2 and a player who rarely escapes the second round of drafts.
Darren Waller, Carolina Panthers
Former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller and the Carolina Panthers reached an agreement on Wednesday on an undisclosed one-year deal, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Waller, 33, will join a TE room in Carolina that already includes Ja'Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble, and Mitchell Evans. The former sixth-round pick out of Georgia Tech came out of retirement (after not playing in 2024) to play in nine games last year with the Miami Dolphins, catching 24 of 34 targets for 283 yards and six touchdowns.
At 6-foot-6 and 238 pounds, Waller has always been a problem for defenses in the red zone, and he has 26 total touchdown catches in his nine years in the NFL. However, injuries were an issue for most of his career, and he missed time in 2025 with hip, groin, and pectoral issues. It's unclear right now how much of a role Waller will have with the Panthers, but his addition cannot be good news for Sanders' fantasy value. At best, Waller will be a touchdown-dependent, TE2 option in two-TE leagues in 2026 if he can actually stay on the field.
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
In what could be his final NFL season in 2026, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce thinks he can still "play at a high level," according to Nate Taylor of ESPN. "I've still got a lot of love for this game," Kelce said Wednesday. "I want to go out there and prove to myself that I can play at a better level than I did last year. That's probably the biggest thing for me is making sure I'm accountable to the guys in this [locker] room and every single play that I'm out there."
The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer signed a one-year, $12 million deal to return to KC back in March after leading the team in targets (108), receptions (76), yards (851), touchdowns (five), and receiving first downs (45) in 2025. Despite his age, Kelce still managed to finish as a top-five fantasy football TE in half-PPR scoring last year. Kelce will still have fantasy value in 2026 in what could be his last season in the league, but he's no longer a top-flight TE1 and is ranked as the No. 12 TE at RotoBaller.
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Football Tool
Read more about the free Who Should I Draft tool here.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to draft...
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Draft? You may have noticed our Who Should I Draft? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy football drafts. You'll see NFL player tiles with bye weeks, stats, and projections, ADPs, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research and updates them constantly throughout the preseason. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Tyler Warren, Travis Kelce, Harold Fannin Jr., Isaiah Likely, Mark Andrews, Tucker Kraft, Kyle Pitts Sr.:
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Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
