Tight end non-PPR rankings for Week 1 fantasy football

Thursday injury update

Evan Engram, Giants — Engram didn’t practice on Thursday and will likely miss Week 1. Kyle Rudolph and Kaden Smith appear to be on track to play.

Noah Fant, Broncos — Fant was limited on Wednesday with a leg injury, but all signs point to him playing against the Giants this week.

Adam Trautman, Saints — Trautman wasn’t listed on the injury report so should be a full go against the Packers.

Hunter Henry, Patriots — Henry has dealt with a shoulder injury this preseason, but wasn’t listed on the injury report for the Patriots tilt vs. the Dolphins.

Last season there were very few tight ends who you could call good fantasy football contributors. There are always those guys who we think will break out with a bigger workload, but then they never get a bigger workload. Figuring out a team’s offensive schemes and how they pertain to tight ends is never easy. We know that Travis Kelce, Darren Waller and George Kittle are going to get their usage, but after those studs, it gets tougher to find safe fantasy tight ends.

Tight End streamers

With so few sure things, streaming tight ends becomes a viable option. Week 1 it’s tougher to do that without solid information on pass routes run, targets, and the like, but it’s worth a shot.

Kyle Rudolph, TE, Giants

This situation is worth monitoring, as Evan Engram is a long shot to play and Kaden Smith missed practice on Monday. Rudolph recently passed his physical and could end up as the healthiest tight end on the team as they take on the Broncos.

Dawson Knox, TE, Bills

Knox is a bit of a dart throw, but all signs have been good this training camp. Knox has taken a step forward according to beat writers and coaches and I expect him to be a solid red zone target this season.

Zach Ertz, TE, Eagles

It seemed inevitable that Ertz would be traded this offseason, but it never materialized. And it appears he’s had a strong camp and will be used alongside Dallas Goedert. Goedert has been the preferred tight end to draft, but Ertz is going to be a factor and he gets the lowly Falcons in Week 1.