:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69837623/1331152031.0.jpg)
Time is running out, so it’s time to get these rankings up ahead of tonight’s big game.
FOOTBALL IS BACK, BABY!
The most actionable news of the week is probably Evan Engram’s calf injury. Engram did not practice on Thursday, and if he doesn’t go you can fire up Kyle Rudolph as a scoring-dependent streaming option.
Be sure to meet me in the comments below to argue about why your favorite tight end is ranked too high or too low...
Top 25 TEs for Week 1
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Opponent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Opponent | Notes |
| 1 | Travis Kelce | KC | vs CLE | Duh. The Browns were swiss cheese against TEs in 2020. |
| 2 | George Kittle | SF | @ DET | The Lions hemorrhaged scores (9) to TEs a year ago despite allowing the 2nd fewest receptions. |
| 3 | Darren Waller | LV | vs BAL | A volume play who had some scoring luck last year. |
| 4 | Mark Andrews | BAL | @ LV | Kind of Waller's opposite--more of a threat to score than anything else. |
| 5 | Kyle Pitts | ATL | vs PHI | We saw the upside on the one preseason catch. |
| 6 | Logan Thomas | WAS | vs LAC | The former VA Tech quarterback has solidified himself as receiving threat, leading the league in 2020 in TE pass routes. He's also got an upgrade at QB. |
| 7 | TJ Hockenson | DET | vs SF | Probably a solid PPR bet most weeks, but I don't love this matchup. |
| 8 | Noah Fant | DEN | @ NYG | He's on track to play, but was listed as limited on this week's injury report. |
| 9 | Robert Tonyan | GB | @ NO | If you're chasing scores and quality of targets, there aren't many better plays than Tonyan. |
| 10 | Tyler Higbee | LAR | vs CHI | Gerald Everett is gone and Matthew Stafford is his new QB. Amen. |
| 11 | Dallas Goedert | PHI | @ ATL | Ertz's presence limits his upside. |
| 12 | Jonnu Smith | NE | vs MIA | He's the athletic sort of TE that Wild Bill loves. |
| 13 | Rob Gronkowski | TB | vs DAL | Could do worse than Brady to Gronk on TNF... |
| 14 | Mike Gesicki | MIA | @ NE | Not a great matchup by last year's numbers... |
| 15 | Zach Ertz | PHI | @ ATL | He's splitting time, but that's a consistent trend among TEs after the elite group. |
| 16 | Hunter Henry | NE | vs MIA | A threat to score, even if Jonnu reads like the more well-rounded TE in this pairing. |
| 17 | Gerald Everett | SEA | @ IND | The Colts were a stingy matchup for TEs last year, but being wed to Russ Wilson is nice. |
| 18 | Jared Cook | LAC | @ WAS | WAS didn't allow volume to TEs last year, but did allow 7 scores. |
| 19 | Dawson Knox | BUF | vs PIT | He's got size, athleticism, and opportunity... |
| 20 | Jordan Akins | HOU | vs JAC | Someone has to catch the ball in Houston. |
| 21 | Austin Hooper | CLE | @ KC | You can't tab him for a huge role in a run-first CLE offense, one loaded with quality wideouts. |
| 22 | Eric Ebron | PIT | @ BUF | A stacked receiving corps and the rookie Freiermuth will push him, eventually. For now, he's scoring-dependent TE2. |
| 23 | Blake Jarwin | DAL | @ TB | He may battle Dalton Schultz for snaps. |
| 24 | Chris Herndon IV | MIN | @ CIN | With Irv Smith Jr. on injured reserve, he gets new life in Minnesota to attempt to reestablish his value. |
| 25 | Anthony Firkser | TEN | vs ARI | It's a run-first squad with AJ Brown and Julio Jones in the receiving corps...Firkser getting heavy targets would be a surprise. |