Are you ready to be hurt again? This is not the first year that we have gone into a season believing that the tight end position was deeper than ever. Not close. And every other time that has ended with us laughing at ourselves midseason because we thought tight end was deep this year. But it might work out for us.
In my Week 1 tight end projections I have 19 tight ends projected to score at least 9.5 PPR Fantasy points. Six of them -- Trey McBride, Brock Bowers, Colston Loveland, Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts, and Tyler Warren project for at least 12 PPR Fantasy points. If I were certain Tucker Kraft was 100% and would play all of the snaps, he would. While we have said this before, I have never been this high on the position.
The one guy that I am not feeling confident in, at least for Week 1, is George Kittle. While it seems like he's fully recovered from his torn Achilles, that does not necessarily mean he will have his full role in Week 1. In his first game back from injury last year, he played 80% of the snaps in Week 7 against the Falcons, saw two targets, and didn't catch a pass. Now, add in the fact that the 49ers are facing a Rams defense that may just be the best defense of the last decade, and I would like to get away from Kittle. Most people who drafted him drafted a second tight end, and for those people, I would just suggest pretending like he's not playing Week 1. If you don't have a second tight end, then there is one streamer below I would start over him. Kittle is not a must-sit by any stretch, but there are so many good options in Week 1, I don't think you need to risk it.
Here's everything else you need to know about tight end in Week 1:
Week 1 TE Preview Numbers to Know Waiver Wire Targets DFS Plays Projections TE Preview Numbers to Know- 27% -- Both Kevin Stefanski and Drew Petzing have directed offenses that funneled 27% of targets to tight ends over the last three seasons. We'll be watching closely to see if Kyle Pitts and Sam LaPorta benefit from those schemes.
- 8.1 -- Isaiah Likely has averaged 8.1 yards per target over his career. If he is the number two target for Jaxson Dart, he'll be a must-start tight end in Fantasy Football.
- 9.1 -- Tucker Kraft is the only non-running back in the NFL to see at least 150 targets since 2023 and average more than nine yards after catch per reception.
- 106 -- Dalton Schultz saw 106 targets last year and has less target competition in 2026.
- 2.83 -- Dalton Kincaid led tight ends with 2.83 yards per route run in 2025. If he gets more snaps, he could finish top 10.
- 12.5 -- Colston Loveland averaged 12.5 PPR FPPG in the second half of the season and was much better than that in the playoffs.
Dalton Schultz TE HOU Houston • #86
Age: 30 • Experience: 9 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs BUF BUF -1.5 O/U 44.5 OPP VS TE 1st TE RNK 16th ROSTERED 52% 2025 Stats REC 82 TAR 106 REYDS 777 TD 3 FPTS/G 10.5 We always say that the guys who surprise us at tight end are the guys who finish second on their team in targets. Going into the season Schultz is projected to finish second on the Texans and potentially exceed his 2025 production. Last year he averaged a respectable 10.5 PPR FPPG which was good enough to be tier for TE13 per game. But he finished fourth at the position in catches and sixth at the position in yards. The problem was that he scored three touchdowns on 106 targets. That 2.8% touchdown rate continued a trend from 2024 but he in 2023 he scored five times on 88 targets. His career rate is 4.6%, and justing hitting that would have tied him with Tyler Warren for TE10. 
Greg Dulcich TE MIA Miami • #85
Age: 26 • Experience: 5 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ LV LV -3.5 O/U 40.5 OPP VS TE 3rd TE RNK 20th ROSTERED 26% 2025 Stats REC 26 TAR 33 REYDS 335 TD 1 FPTS/G 6.4 In deeper leagues if you are looking for a darkhorse TE1 this week I would look at Dulcich. He posted 2.38 yards per route run last year, which was second only to Dalton Kincaid. He should run more routes this year and see a higher target rate. The Dolphins' wide receiver room is extremely thin and offseason reports suggest good chemistry between Willis and Dulcich. 
Terrance Ferguson TE LAR L.A. Rams • #18
Age: 23 • Experience: 2 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs SF LAR -3.5 O/U 48.5 OPP VS TE 23rd TE RNK NR ROSTERED 24% 2025 Stats REC 11 TAR 25 REYDS 231 TD 3 FPTS/G 3.7 If you are looking for an upside stash, it's Terrance Ferguson. He is supposed to be the third option in the Rams passing game behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. The Rams went heavy 13 personnel last year, which should get Ferguson's snap share up and he averaged 21 yards per catch in a tiny sample size last year. I think he probably only hits big if Nacua or Adams miss time but Sean McVay is known for changing things up and could make Ferguson a more prominent focus of the offense as early as Week 1. TE Preview DFS Plays Top DFS Play Projections powered by Sportsline 
Colston Loveland TE CHI Chicago • #84
Age: 22 • Experience: 2 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ CAR CHI -3 O/U 47 OPP VS TE 20th PROJ PTS 14.6 TE RNK 3rd 2025 Stats REC 58 TAR 82 REYDS 713 TD 6 FPTS/G 10.3 I would set almost even odds on who scores more points this week between Loveland, Trey McBride, and Brock Bowers. But Loveland is considerably cheaper than both, so he is the top play for me. I expect a pretty even, but concentrated, split between Loveland, Luther Burden, and Rome Odunze in targets this season. Loveland is the healthiest entering Week 1 and could command double digit targets in a game that I expect the Bears to put up a big number. Contrarian DFS Play Projections powered by Sportsline 
Kyle Pitts TE ATL Atlanta • #8
Age: 25 • Experience: 6 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ PIT PIT -3.5 O/U 42.5 OPP VS TE 29th PROJ PTS 11.2 TE RNK 6th 2025 Stats REC 88 TAR 118 REYDS 928 TD 5 FPTS/G 12.4 I have been pretty clear about the Stefanski boost I expect for Pitts in terms of target share. I also think Tua Tagovailoa is better for Pitts in this offense, because Tagovailoa leans on his safety valve early and the tight end is often the safety valve in this offense. Pitts' breakout last year came with the lowest aDOT of his career and that number may be even lower in Week 1. He could also be amongst the leaders in receptions in Week 1. TE Preview Heath's Projections My full set of Week 1 Fantasy football projections for every position are now available here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 1. Projected stats for all starting tight ends are updated throughout the week so check back before you set your lineup for the latest information.
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