If you need to know who to start or sit in your fantasy football league, our weekly ranking articles will be there to assist. This article will cover the top 20 tight ends for week 1.
Remember we take into account the opponent when ranking these players week to week.
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Q = Questionable, P = Probable
Favorable matchups against teams that gave up more points to TE in 2011 are in red
Unfavorable matchups against teams that restricted points to TE in 2011 are in blue
| Rank | Tight End | Team | Points YTD | Status | Week 1 |
| 1 | Jimmy Graham | NO | vs WAS | ||
| 2 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | at TEN | ||
| 3 | Vernon Davis | SF | at GB | ||
| 4 | Brandon Pettigrew | DET | vs STL | ||
| 5 | Tony Gonzalez | ATL | at KC | ||
| 6 | Aaron Hernandez | NE | at TEN | ||
| 7 | Owen Daniels | HOU | vs MIA | ||
| 8 | Antonio Gates | SD | at OAK | ||
| 9 | Fred Davis | WAS | at NO | ||
| 10 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | vs JAX | ||
| 11 | Jared Cook | TEN | vs NE | ||
| 12 | Greg Olson | CAR | at TB | ||
| 13 | Jermichael Finley | GB | P | vs SF | |
| 14 | Coby Fleener | IND | at CHI | ||
| 15 | Martellus Bennett | NYG | vs DAL | ||
| 16 | Dustin Keller | NYJ | vs BUF | ||
| 17 | Brent Celek | PHI | at CLE | ||
| 18 | Jacob Tamme | DEN | vs PIT | ||
| 19 | Jermaine Gresham | CIN | P | at BAL | |
| 20 | Marcedes Lewis | JAC | at MIN |
On the outside looking in – Scott Chandler, Joel Dreesen, Jermaine Gresham, Ed Dickson, Lance Kendricks, Heath Miller, Dwayne Allen, Dennis Pitta, Anthony Fasano, Benjamin Watson, Kevin Boss, Zach Miller, Tony Moeaki, Todd Heap, Tony Scheffler, Kellen Winslow, Dallas Clark, Luke Stocker
Injured – Jason Witten (lacerated spleen), while Witten is questionable for week 1, we currently don’t project him to play, and even if he does, his effectiveness is questionable. If you have Witten in your league, plan on having a backup for the first few weeks of the fantasy football season.
CHARLOTTE, NC – NOVEMBER 07: Teammates Drew Brees #9 and Jimmy Graham #80 of the New Orleans Saints celebrate after a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on November 7, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
News and notes about matchups
- Jared Cook cracks our top 12 as a sleeper to target at TE in week 1. With his Titans taking on the Patriots, expect Cook to put up solid numbers, and if you are the owner of Witten, Tamme, or Dreesen, you will want to consider plugging in Cook for your fake team’s first game.
- In the realm of bad matchups, Jermichael Finley will be probable heading into his team’s first game against the 49ers. A guy coming off injury and having to face one of the better defenses in the game makes for a tough week for fantasy owners.
- Another tough matchup will be the two Broncos tight ends, Tamme and Dreesen. They draw the Steelers in week 1, and with no clear #1 option coming out of camp, fantasy owners will have to wait and see who Manning’s favorite target is. They are both best left alone in formats that start just 1 tight end. Tamme comes in at #18, and Dreesen barely missed the top 20 at #21 for week 1.
