Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season is here! We now get to make legitimate fantasy football decisions that matter after a long offseason of wishing for this moment.
There have been plenty of injury scares already ahead of Week 1 that have shaken up fantasy rankings. What does the latest news mean for the TE position, and who should you start in the first week of the year?
Which TEs Should You Start in Fantasy Football?
Be sure to check out Soppe’s other positional rankings: QB | RB | WR
1) Mark Andrews | BAL | (vs HOU)
2) T.J. Hockenson | MIN | (vs TB)
3) Darren Waller | NYG | (vs DAL)
4) George Kittle | SF | (@ PIT)
5) Kyle Pitts | ATL | (vs CAR)
6) Dallas Goedert | PHI | (@ NE)
7) Evan Engram | JAX | (@ IND)
8) Pat Freiermuth | PIT | (vs SF)
9) Tyler Higbee | LAR | (@ SEA)
10) Gerald Everett | LAC | (vs MIA)
11) David Njoku | CLE | (vs CIN)
12) Chigoziem Okonkwo | TEN | (@ NO)
13) Dalton Schultz | HOU | (@ BAL)
14) Juwan Johnson | NO | (vs TEN)
15) Dalton Kincaid | BUF | (@ NYJ)
16) Cole Kmet | CHI | (vs GB)
17) Greg Dulcich | DEN | (vs LV)
18) Hayden Hurst | CAR | (@ ATL)
19) Sam LaPorta | DET | (@ KC)
20) Luke Musgrave | GB | (@ CHI)
21) Noah Gray | KC | (vs DET)
22) Irv Smith Jr. | CIN | (@ CLE)
23) Noah Fant | SEA | (vs. LAR)
24) Hunter Henry | NE | (vs. PHI)
25) Zach Ertz | ARI | (@ WAS)
26) Cade Otton | TB | (@ MIN)
27) Michael Mayer | LV | (@ DEN)
28) Tyler Conklin | NYJ | (vs BUF)
29) Taysom Hill | NO | (vs TEN)
30) Jake Ferguson | DAL | (@ NYG)
31) Donald Parham Jr. | LAC | (vs MIA)
32) Trey McBride | ARI | (@ WAS)
33) Dawson Knox | BUF | (@ NYJ)
34) Logan Thomas | WAS | (vs ARI)
35) Isaiah Likely | BAL | (vs HOU)
36) Austin Hooper | LV | (@ DEN)
37) Mike Gesicki | NE | (vs PHI)
38) Jonnu Smith | ATL | (vs CAR)
39) Durham Smythe | MIA | (@ LAC)
40) Will Dissly | SEA | (vs LAR)
41) Harrison Bryant | CLE | (vs CIN)
42) Josh Oliver | MIN | (vs TB)
43) Darnell Washington | PIT | (vs SF)
44) Noah Gray | KC | (vs DET)
45) Luke Schoonmaker | DAL | (@ NYG)
46) Brevin Jordan | HOU | (@ BAL)
47) Brenton Strange | JAX | (@ IND)
48) Robert Tonyan | CHI | (vs GB)
49) Tucker Kraft | GB | (@ CHI)
The Top TEs To Start in Week 1
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
You’re starting Hockenson every single week, and I maintain that if — and it’s a giant if — a tight end is going to unseat Taylor Swift fanboy Travis Kelce atop the TE ranks, it’s Hock.
The Bucs allowed the fourth-highest completion percentage when opponents targeted the tight end position last season (74.1%), and until we see either secondary Vikings WR earn targets at a consistent rate, Hockenson’s projectable volume is to be considered nothing short of elite. Look for him to show out and earn every penny of his new contract in the season opener.
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers
I have Justin Herbert leading the league in passing yards this season, so you can imagine where I’m leaning for this offense as a whole. And guess what? Against an explosive, quick-strike Dolphins team, that’s not changing.
MORE: Fantasy Start/Sit Optimizer
Everett caught at least five balls in six of eight games with 30 routes run last season, a threshold I expect him to hit against the Dolphins team that couldn’t get off the field via turnovers last season (third-lowest turnover rate).
Combine that with the fact that Miami allowed the highest percentage of tight end targets to be caught (79%), and Everett is a fine Week 1 option for those who punted the position on draft day.