Stanley Holditch
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The NFL season is upon us, and it’s time to get to ranking the position I neglect the most, tight ends. Why do I neglect this position? Essentially because it’s top heavy, which causes the top 3 (possibly 4) players who actually make a difference to have unreasonably high ADPs, and the rest just seem to bunch together.
Anyway, here are my superflex TE rankings for week 1.
Tight Ends
| Rank | Name | Opponent |
| 1 | Travis Kelce | Browns |
| 2 | Darren Waller | Ravens |
| 3 | George Kittle | Lions |
| 4 | Kyle Pitts | Eagles |
| 5 | TJ Hockenson | 49ers |
| 6 | Tyler Higbee | Bears |
| 7 | Mark Andrews | Raiders |
| 8 | Mike Gesicki | Patriots |
| 9 | Logan Thomas | Chargers |
| 10 | Jonnu Smith | Dolphins |
| 11 | Robert Tonyan | Saints |
| 12 | Noah Fant | Giants |
| 13 | Cole Kmet | Rams |
| 14 | Blake Jarwin | Buccaneers |
| 15 | Rob Gronkowski | Cowboys |
| 16 | Hunter Henry | Dolphins |
| 17 | Chris Herndon | Bengals |
| 18 | Adam Trautman | Packers |
| 19 | Dallas Goedert | Falcons |
| 20 | Zach Ertz | Falcons |
| 21 | Jared Cook | WFT |
| 22 | Austin Hooper | Chiefs |
| 23 | Pat Freiermuth | Bills |
| 24 | Dawson Knox | Steelers |
I don’t know that there is much to say about the top three here. It would take some sort of cataclysmic event to not rank Travis Kelce number 1 against anyone, and Darren Waller and George Kittle will follow him immediately against almost any opponents. I could see Kittle leaned on more in the run game as I think San Francisco will stick to the ground in an easy win.
It gets more interesting at the 4-12 spots. I do think Kyle Pitts is going to beat expectations all year. Everyone said he was being drafted at his ceiling while going in rounds 4-5, while not blinking at Kelce and Waller going in the first and Kittle in the 2nd and 3rd. Pitts can be as good as Waller and Kittle this year, and I think it starts in a big way this Sunday. I like TJ Hockenson’s role as the only game in town against the 49ers and possibly all year. I expect the Niners pass rush to be back up to snuff and thus the safety valve being all important for Goff. I like Tyler Higbee for the same reason against the Bears. Their front four will get to Stafford plenty. Mark Andrews is the only real trusted receiver that Lamar Jackson has, and I think a big game against the Raiders is not out of the question, but I’m seeing something more along the lines of 65 yards and a touch.
Gesicki, Logan Thomas, Jonnu Smith, and Robert Tonyan should all be reliable back-end starters in a 12-team league. Not thrilling but probably safe 60+ yardage floors and a decent shot at a touchdown.
Noah Fant has been dealing with an injury but if healthy he should be a good option against a bad Giants defense. I think Cole Kmet is a good play this week as Dalton’s safety valve against the Rams pass rush, but without any real past production he’s risky. The only other guy I wold feel comfortable starting in a 12-team league in the bottom 24 is Adam Trautman. He’s healthy for week 1 and if Jaire Alexander effectively takes away Marquez Callaway from Winston, I expect Trautman to see at least 8 targets, possibly as high as 12.
