The Trouble with Tight Ends: What To Do With Kelce, LaPorta, McBride and Andrews Following Week 1?

What should fantasy managers do with the top tight ends heading into Week 2 of the fantasy football season? Joey Pollizze looks at the fantasy football landscape for tight ends after Week 1.

Week 1 of the fantasy season is in the books, and there are a lot of fantasy managers panicking after a wild first week. While players like Joe Burrow, Chris Olave, and Amon-Ra St. Brown all busted in fantasy in Week 1, the tight end position as a whole was extremely disappointing to start the season. 

Despite the position being as deep as it ever has been in fantasy, several of the top tight ends struggled to put up strong numbers in Week 1. As a result, those fantasy managers who spent a third-round pick on Sam LaPorta, a fourth-round pick on Mark Andrews, or a fifth-round pick on Trey McBride are likely already frustrated. 

So, what should fantasy managers do with top tight ends following Week 1? Let's dive in and take a look at what to do with LaPorta, Andrews, McBride, and other fantasy tight ends after a rough first week. 

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Tight End Week 1 Recap

It was an unpredictable first week for tight ends as none of the top five tight ends selected in fantasy drafts finished in double figures in PPR formats. LaPorta had 8.5 fantasy points, Travis Kelce had 6.4 points, Andrews had 3.4 points, McBride had eight points, and Dalton Kincaid finished with a mere 2.1 fantasy points. Overall, the tight-end position had a rough fantasy day in Week 1. 

Only five tight ends scored in double figures in PPR formats (Isaiah Likely, Foster Moreau, Brock Bowers, Kyle Pitts, and Juwan Johnson) this week, and of those five, fantasy managers likely only started Bowers and Pitts in most cases.  Likely (26.1 PPR points), Moreau (14.3 PPR points), and Johnson (10.6 PPR points) all had average draft positions (ADP) outside the top 165 in drafts this summer. 

Tight ends who reached 12 fantasy points in Week 1 (so far):

Isaiah Likely - 26.1
Foster Moreau - 14.3

— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) September 9, 2024

As a result, managers are likely panicking about their starting tight end in fantasy heading into Week 2. All the big-named tight ends busted in Week 1, while backup tight ends like Likely and Moreau had solid/above-average days. So, what should we do with tight ends like LaPorta, Andrews, and Kelce in fantasy right now? 

What To Do With Top Tight Ends? 

The first thing fantasy managers shouldn't do is completely panic. After all, it's just the first week. Last year, only four tight ends (Hunter Henry, Hayden Hurst, T.J. Hockenson, and Donald Parham Jr.) scored in double figures in PPR formats in Week 1, and only Hockenson finished as a top-18 option at the position in 2023. 

It's a long season, and one week won't define your fantasy season. So, managers should not be actively looking to trade away LaPorta, Kelce, Andrews, McBride, or Kincaid for cheap heading into Week 2. Instead, use this as an opportunity to buy low on these players because all five tight ends should have strong fantasy years. 

Despite struggling to put up solid numbers in the first week, there are plenty of positives to take away from each of those five tight ends in Week 1. So, here's why you shouldn't be panicking on those tight ends. 

Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

Taking LaPorta in drafts this year meant you were getting a reliable tight end early. But LaPorta put up only 8.5 PPR fantasy points against the Los Angeles Rams to open the season. That is certainly disappointing for fantasy managers who drafted him. However, let's not totally panic about the Lions tight end. 

For starters, Jared Goff only completed 18 passes on Sunday. If that seems low, it's because it is. Last year, Goff completed 18 passes or less in only one of 17 games in 2023. Even though the Lions didn't pass a whole lot in Week 1, LaPorta still finished second in catches (four) and receiving yards (45) on the team. Detroit will have better passing days moving forward, which will help the young tight end put up consistent fantasy numbers. 

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs 

Kelce is certainly not the same fantasy tight end he was once. After finishing as the overall TE1 in six of seven years (2016 to 2022), the veteran took a step back last year and finished as the TE3 in PPR formats. But he can still be a reliable fantasy option for managers this year -- even at the age of 34. 

Week 1 might have been disappointing, as he caught just three passes for 34 yards against the Baltimore Ravens. He also saw just four targets in the contest. However, the Chiefs were winning for most of that game, and Patrick Mahomes only attempted 28 passes. Last season, Mahomes didn't attempt less than 28 passes in any game and averaged 37.3 attempts per game. So, better days should be in store for Kelce. 

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Many fantasy managers believe that Likely has officially taken over the TE1 job in Baltimore. He was the preferred option for Lamar Jackson in the passing game while Andrews took a backseat. But that might not be the case, even after the veteran tight end caught only two passes for 14 yards in Week 1. 

Don't forget Andrews missed a portion of training camp following a "scary" car accident, so he's still getting caught up to game speed. He also faced double teams at an extreme rate against the Chiefs in Week 1.

According to Nathan Jahnke of PFF, he said that the Ravens' tight end was "double covered on a higher percentage of his routes in this game than any of his games from 2021 to 2023." That's why we shouldn't panic on him just yet. 

After seeing this thread from Andy, decided to look at the data.

Mark Andrews was double covered on a higher percentage of his routes in this game than any of his other games from 2021-2023. https://t.co/jsLWMcXu7J

— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) September 6, 2024

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals 

It was a subpar fantasy day for McBride in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. He caught five passes for 30 yards in the contest and scored only eight PPR fantasy points. The last time the Cardinals tight end scored that few amount of fantasy points in a game was back in Week 9 of the 2023 season against the Cleveland Browns (5.2 PPR fantasy points). 

But there's no reason to panic about McBride heading into Week 2 of the fantasy season. He was targeted nine times in Week 1, which led the team in the contest. His nine targets also ranked second among all tight ends -- only being Likely's 12. As a result, he should have a high fantasy ceiling and floor each week, especially if he is getting that type of target share every game. 

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

The biggest problem for Kincaid last year was playing time. Over the final eight weeks of the season (Week 11 to Week 18), the Bills tight end only averaged 58.1% of the team's offensive snaps. But that appears to be different in 2024, as he saw 84% of Buffalo's offensive snaps in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. 

Despite only catching one pass for 11 yards, it is encouraging to see Kincaid out there for the majority of snaps. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady also said that he noticed Arizona was keying in on the tight end throughout the contest. So, expect Brady to get more creative in finding ways to get his young playmaker open.  

OC Joe Brady says it was clear the Cardinals defense was keying on Dalton Kincaid on Sunday. Kincaid finished the game against Arizona with just one reception for 11 yards: “Would love to get him going a little earlier but it didn’t bother him at all.” #Bills #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/NrpMRefSvl

— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) September 9, 2024

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