Fantasy TE rankings: What injuries, preseason Week 1 playing time mean heading into Week 2

There are some interesting tight end situation playing around around the NFL as we gear up for the regular season. These are important storylines to watch for fantasy football too, because unless you draft one of the obvious top 10 or so players at the position, you’ll need to have a good idea about which tight ends could be due for a breakout and which ones will wind up absent from the box score.

Earlier this week, DK Nation released its first set of wide receiver rankings for both standard and PPR formats. We take a look at how some key position battles have impacted those rankings.

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

Goedert is the 11th ranked tight end in PPR formats and 12th in standard. But Zach Ertz bested him in snap count last week, seven to five, and spent more time with the starters. Ertz could still be traded, but if he does end up staying in Philadelphia this season it’s fair to be concerned with Goedert’s overall playing time and production.

Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins

Gesicki played just seven snaps last week; two other players at the position had more. His work was mostly limited to obvious passing situations too. Last season, he saw his production drop after Tua Tagovailoa took over at QB, and played a similar role as we saw in Miami’s first preseason game this year. That limits his upside. He’s currently ranked 13th in both PPR and standard formats.

Adam Trautman, New Orleans Saints

The Saints had Trautman on the field for 15 snaps last week, but he spent more time blocking than catching passes. In fact, he wasn’t even targeted in that game. He’s the 27th and 28th ranked tight end in PPR and standard formats, respectively.

Anthony Firsker, Tennessee Titans

Maybe Firsker isn’t going to replace Jonnu Smith in that lineup after all. He played just two snaps against the Falcons last week. More telling is that he wasn’t getting any early down work; that went to Tommy Hudson. Firsker’s ranked 28th and 29th in PPR and standard formats. If you’re eyeing him as a sneaky pick late in your fantasy draft, you might want to keep an eye on what his role looks like in Tennessee’s second preseason game.

Blake Jarwin, Dallas Cowboys

Jarwin played 10 snaps for the Cowboys last week against Arizona, while Dalton Schultz was inactive. Their roles were reversed when Dallas played the Hall of Fame game to kick off the exhibition slate. So we still don’t have a clear picture of who’s where as that tight end battle plays out. Jarwin ranks 16th and 17th, respectively, in PPR and standard formats. Schultz is 37th and 38th.

Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last week against the Bengals, Gronk played six snaps, compared to just two for the returning O.J. Howard. Cameron Brate was out. Tellingly, Gronk played every snap with the starters. Gronk is ranked 13th among tight ends in standard formats and 21st in PPR. Howard is 31st in standard and 32nd in PPR.