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Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings: TE, K, DEF

Kyle Pitts

Kyle Pitts

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Pitts wonders if he’s the only show in town for the Falcons, Darren Waller begins his contract drive against the Chargers, and Cole Kmet hunts for his first touchdown in two years vs. the 49ers.

Other positions: Quarterback | Running Back | Receiver

Updated 9/9 at 6:15 PM ET.

Removed George Kittle. Moved Zach Ertz down.

Week 1 Tight Ends

RK

Player

Opp

1

Travis Kelce

@ARI

2

Mark Andrews

@NYJ

3

Kyle Pitts

NO

4

Darren Waller

@LAC

5

Dalton Schultz

TB

6

Dallas Goedert

@DET

7

T.J. Hockenson

PHI

8

Dawson Knox

@LA

9

Hunter Henry

@MIA

10

Cole Kmet

SF

11

Pat Freiermuth

@CIN

12

Zach Ertz

KC

13

David Njoku

@CAR

14

Irv Smith

GB

15

Mike Gesicki

NE

16

Noah Fant

DEN

17

Robert Tonyan

@MIN

18

Evan Engram

@WAS

19

Tyler Higbee

BUF

20

Austin Hooper

NYG

21

Gerald Everett

LV

22

Hayden Hurst

PIT

23

Albert Okwuegbunam

@SEA

24

Tyler Conklin

BAL

25

Cameron Brate

@DAL

26

Logan Thomas

JAC

27

Brevin Jordan

IND

28

Isaiah Likely

@NYJ

29

Mo Alie-Cox

@HOU

30

Tyler Kroft

@CHI

31

Daniel Bellinger

@TEN

32

Jonnu Smith

@MIA

33

Maxx Williams

KC

34

Tommy Tremble

CLE

35

Ross Dwelley

@CHI

TE Notes: Take your pick with Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews at the top. Already amongst the most important players to their respective offenses in the entire league, they have only grown more so following the offseason exodus of their primary target competition. … It would be nice for Kyle Pitts if Drake London (knee) could give it a go. If not, the Saints’ elite defense won’t have to waste too much devoting game-plan attention to Bryan Edwards et al. … It didn’t take George Kittle (groin) long to go from “finally healthy” to “already injured.” Tyler Kroft is the next man up for TE2 desperados if Kittle can’t go. … Are there enough targets to go around for Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow behind Davante Adams? It’s a critical question that could be a moot point for a Week 1 Chargers matchup that should feature 35-40 Derek Carr pass attempts. … Maybe you thought Dalton Schultz was a donkey pick this summer. You can’t debate that he is Dak Prescott‘s No. 2 target for as long as Michael Gallup (knee) remains sidelined.

This will be Dallas Goedert‘s first full season without Zach Ertz. Hopefully it’s not his latest season with inadequate quarterback play. Goedert himself has praised Jalen Hurts’ improvement. … No one wanted to draft T.J. Hockenson this summer, though everyone still agrees he is a top-eight tight end. Hockenson’s increased target competition could go one of two ways. Although he is likely to see fewer looks, they should be cleaner with Amon-Ra St. Brown and D.J. Chark occupying defensive attention. … The question for Dawson Knox is whether he can see increased volume to offset likely touchdown regression. His scoring odds are nevertheless high for Thursday evening’s projected humdinger with the Rams. … Zach Ertz is ready to catch-and-fall 5-6 times per game for an offense running low on proven targets while DeAndre Hopkins serves his six-game suspension. … “Hunter Henry, red zone target” is the one role I am comfortable with in the Patriots’ skill corps right now.

Cole Kmet probably would have been a consensus top-10 tight end had even 3-4 of his 93 2021 looks ended up in the end zone. Instead, he scored zero times. With Jimmy Graham out of the way and increased target competition not arriving, Kmet is a sensible “making the TE1 leap” candidate. … Not feeling great about pinning David Njoku‘s sixth-year breakout hopes on Jacoby Brissett. … Although he could be on a pitch count coming off his torn ACL, Robert Tonyan maintains the best touchdown odds in the Packers’ pass-catching corps, especially if Allen Lazard (ankle) sits. … TE2 volume should — emphasis on should — be easily attainable for Evan Engram in a thin Jaguars skill group. … Austin Hooper for cheap volume, Gerald Everett and Hayden Hurst for big plays in elite offenses. … The fantasy community loves Albert Okwuegbunam. It remains unclear if the Broncos’ new coaching staff does. Always injured, “Albert O” is already dealing with a lower-body issue, one he insists he will play through.

Week 1 Kickers

RK

Player

Opp

1

Evan McPherson

PIT

2

Harrison Butker

@ARI

3

Justin Tucker

@NYJ

4

Tyler Bass

@LA

5

Matt Gay

BUF

6

Greg Joseph

GB

7

Matt Prater

KC

8

Brandon McManus

@SEA

9

Daniel Carlson

@LAC

10

Ryan Succop

@DAL

11

Rodrigo Blankenship

@HOU

12

Brett Maher

TB

13

Dustin Hopkins

LV

14

Wil Lutz

@ATL

15

Jake Elliott

@DET

16

Robbie Gould

@CHI

17

Nick Folk

@MIA

18

Jason Sanders

NE

19

Mason Crosby

@MIN

20

Younghoe Koo

NO

21

Randy Bullock

NYG

22

Graham Gano

@TEN

23

Austin Seibert

PHI

24

Greg Zuerlein

BAL

25

Chris Boswell

@CIN

26

Joey Slye

JAC

27

Jason Myers

DEN

28

Ka’imi Fairbairn

IND

29

Cade York

@CAR

30

Riley Patterson

@WAS

31

Cairo Santos

SF

32

Eddy Pineiro

CLE

Week 1 Defense/Special Teams

RK

Player

Opp

1

New Orleans Saints

@ATL

2

Denver Broncos

@SEA

3

San Francisco 49ers

@CHI

4

Baltimore Ravens

@NYJ

5

Philadelphia Eagles

@DET

6

Indianapolis Colts

@HOU

7

Cincinnati Bengals

PIT

8

Carolina Panthers

CLE

9

Tennessee Titans

NYG

10

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

@DAL

11

Cleveland Browns

@CAR

12

Buffalo Bills

@LA

13

Miami Dolphins

NE

14

New England Patriots

@MIA

15

Los Angeles Chargers

LV

16

Los Angeles Rams

BUF

17

Washington Commanders

JAC

18

Green Bay Packers

@MIN

19

Pittsburgh Steelers

@CIN

20

Dallas Cowboys

TB

21

Kansas City Chiefs

@ARI

22

Jacksonville Jaguars

@WAS

23

Chicago Bears

SF

24

New York Giants

@TEN

25

Detroit Lions

PHI

26

Arizona Cardinals

KC

27

Atlanta Falcons

NO

28

Minnesota Vikings

GB

29

Las Vegas Raiders

@LAC

30

Seattle Seahawks

DEN

31

Houston Texans

IND

32

New York Jets

BAL