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2026 fantasy football TE rankings - Week 1 start, sit tight end rankings. Win more with our updated TE fantasy football rankings and tiers for Week 1.
Not even a week into the fantasy football season, we already have big news that takes a must-start tight end out of the player pool, making the TE spot even thinner. We're here to help you nail your lineup call with our updated Week 1 tight end rankings for fantasy football. Below, check out where tight ends on the start-sit bubble, such as Kyle Pitts Sr., Michael Mayer, Travis Kelce, Juwan Johnson, George Kittle, Jake Ferguson, Dalton Kincaid, Cade Otton stand, among all other TE options.
Our TE fantasy football rankings for Week 1 are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find a summary of the important fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.
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Week 1 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings
Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings
| TE Tier |
TE Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. | Overall Rank |
| 1 | 1 | Trey McBride | TE | 33 |
| 2 | 2 | Colston Loveland | TE | 57 |
| 3 | 3 | Tyler Warren | TE | 64 |
| 3 | 4 | Sam LaPorta | TE | 68 |
| 3 | 5 | Tucker Kraft | TE | 71 |
| 3 | 6 | Harold Fannin Jr. | TE | 76 |
| 4 | 7 | Kyle Pitts Sr. | TE | 77 |
| 5 | 8 | George Kittle | TE | 78 |
| 5 | 9 | Dallas Goedert | TE | 84 |
| 5 | 10 | Travis Kelce | TE | 93 |
| 5 | 11 | Juwan Johnson | TE | 98 |
| 5 | 12 | Michael Mayer | TE | 99 |
| 5 | 13 | Isaiah Likely | TE | 105 |
| 5 | 14 | Mark Andrews | TE | 109 |
| 6 | 15 | Jake Ferguson | TE | 112 |
| 6 | 16 | Dalton Kincaid | TE | 114 |
| 6 | 17 | Hunter Henry | TE | 116 |
| 6 | 18 | Brenton Strange | TE | 124 |
| 6 | 19 | Dalton Schultz | TE | 133 |
| 6 | 20 | T.J. Hockenson | TE | 134 |
| 6 | 21 | Cade Otton | TE | 135 |
| 6 | 22 | Terrance Ferguson | TE | 136 |
| 6 | 23 | AJ Barner | TE | 142 |
| 6 | 24 | Pat Freiermuth | TE | 147 |
| 6 | 25 | Chig Okonkwo | TE | 150 |
| 7 | 26 | Mike Gesicki | TE | 151 |
| 7 | 27 | Greg Dulcich | TE | 155 |
| 7 | 28 | Gunnar Helm | TE | 158 |
| 7 | 29 | Evan Engram | TE | 162 |
| 7 | 30 | Colby Parkinson | TE | 163 |
| 7 | 31 | Darren Waller | TE | 169 |
| 7 | 32 | Oronde Gadsden II | TE | 179 |
| 7 | 33 | Charlie Kolar | TE | 180 |
| 7 | 34 | Darnell Washington | TE | 183 |
| 7 | 35 | Kenyon Sadiq | TE | 188 |
| 8 | 36 | Cole Kmet | TE | 194 |
| 8 | 37 | David Njoku | TE | 195 |
| 8 | 38 | Theo Johnson | TE | 198 |
| 8 | 39 | Noah Fant | TE | 209 |
| 8 | 40 | Elijah Arroyo | TE | 210 |
| 8 | 41 | Mason Taylor | TE | 212 |
| 8 | 42 | Jake Tonges | TE | 213 |
| 8 | 43 | Dawson Knox | TE | 216 |
| 8 | 44 | Matthew Hibner | TE | 224 |
| 8 | 45 | Erick All Jr. | TE | 225 |
| 8 | 46 | Ja'Tavion Sanders | TE | 227 |
| 8 | 47 | Daniel Bellinger | TE | 230 |
| 8 | 48 | Jonnu Smith | TE | 234 |
| 8 | 49 | Noah Gray | TE | 235 |
| 8 | 50 | Eli Raridon | TE | 238 |
| 8 | 51 | Josh Oliver | TE | 239 |
| 8 | 52 | Tyler Higbee | TE | 241 |
| 8 | 53 | Austin Hooper | TE | 243 |
| 8 | 54 | Luke Schoonmaker | TE | 245 |
| 8 | 55 | Oscar Delp | TE | 248 |
| 9 | 56 | Brock Wright | TE | 250 |
| 9 | 57 | Elijah Higgins | TE | 252 |
| 9 | 58 | Marlin Klein | TE | 253 |
| 9 | 59 | Tyler Conklin | TE | 256 |
| 9 | 60 | Davis Allen | TE | 257 |
| 9 | 61 | Foster Moreau | TE | 258 |
| 9 | 62 | Drew Sample | TE | 263 |
| 9 | 63 | John Bates | TE | 268 |
| 9 | 64 | Max Klare | TE | 271 |
| 9 | 65 | Tommy Tremble | TE | 273 |
| 9 | 66 | Adam Trautman | TE | 274 |
| 10 | 67 | Nate Boerkircher | TE | 278 |
| 10 | 68 | Tanner Hudson | TE | 281 |
| 10 | 69 | Tanner Koziol | TE | 283 |
| 10 | 70 | Ian Thomas | TE | 284 |
| 10 | 71 | Mo Alie-Cox | TE | 285 |
| 10 | 72 | Luke Farrell | TE | 286 |
| 10 | 73 | Ben Sinnott | TE | 287 |
| 10 | 74 | Jackson Hawes | TE | 288 |
Week 1 Fantasy Football Tight End Outlooks
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (knee) is not listed on the team's Week 1 injury report as they get set to take on the division-rival Minnesota Vikings this Sunday, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Kraft is ready to roll for the season opener after suffering a season-ending torn ACL last year. There were some reports during training camp this summer that suggested that Kraft could be on a snap count early in the 2026 season, but since he has been practicing in full pads for weeks, that seems unlikely.
The 25-year-old former third-rounder in the 2023 NFL Draft from South Dakota State was among the best at his position last year before getting hurt, catching 32 of his 44 targets for 489 yards and six touchdowns in eight games played, and despite coming off a serious knee injury, he is expected to be a top-five option at the TE position in 2026, especially with Packers receivers Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks no longer in town. Start Kraft with confidence in Week 1 against the Vikings.
Kenyon Sadiq, New York Jets
New York Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq (groin) was a full participant during Wednesday's practice. The first-round rookie is trending toward making his NFL debut versus the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Sadiq missed part of the offseason while recovering from hernia surgery.
He was able to get through a full practice session to begin the week, which is a great sign for his status ahead of Week 1. Mason Taylor is likely going to start, so Sadiq will probably have a smaller role behind him. It might take some time before Sadiq begins making an impact in New York.
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson put together the most productive season of his career in 2025, recording 77 catches for 889 yards and three touchdowns on 102 targets across 17 games. Alongside star Saints wideout Chris Olave, Johnson spent much of the year as the clear second option in the New Orleans passing game.
With Saints rookie first-round wideout Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) on Injured Reserve to begin the year, Johnson appears to be in a similar situation in New Orleans to open 2026. Across his final 11 games of 2025, Johnson topped double-digit PPR fantasy points seven times. For as long as Tyson remains sidelined, Johnson carries top-12 fantasy tight end upside and should likely be rostered across most league formats.
Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer's pass-catching production has been limited over the past two seasons thanks to the presence of superstar Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (knee). However, the Raiders announced on Wednesday that Bowers recently had a meniscus trim and is now expected to miss the first one or two games of 2026.
As a result, Mayer should operate as the Raiders' TE1 to begin the year. Across the four games he played in 2025 when Bowers was sidelined by injury, Mayer recorded 18 catches for 196 yards and a touchdown on 24 targets. The Raiders should have a more stable offensive environment in 2026 with Kirk Cousins at quarterback and Klint Kubiak calling plays. Ahead of a relatively favorable matchup against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, Mayer could be a worthy tight end streamer for fantasy managers to target on the waiver wire.
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Kyle Pitts Sr., Michael Mayer, Travis Kelce, Juwan Johnson, George Kittle, Jake Ferguson, Dalton Kincaid, Cade Otton. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 1.
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 name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' 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 fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. 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. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
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 circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 1 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 1 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 1 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 1 for Kyle Pitts Sr., Michael Mayer, Travis Kelce, Juwan Johnson, George Kittle, Jake Ferguson, Dalton Kincaid, Cade Otton:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
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