Fantasy Football Start or Sit? Week 1 Tight End Edition

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Tight End is a funny position in fantasy football. The top tier guys like Rob Gronkowski or Jordan Reed last year will consistently give you a leg up on your competition but the next seven or eight players will put up virtually identical numbers over the course of the year.

For example, in ESPN standard leagues the fourth ranked TE is projected to score 124 points while the eighth is projected to score 115 points, so not a huge difference there. That makes playing the right tight end a week-to-week position where you can rotate players based off matchups.

Below are three players I think have a favorable matchup this week, three players I think you should swap out, and some additional suggestions to replace those you swap out.

Start:

Travis Kelce - Alex smith loves throwing to his athletic tight end and San Diego was one of the worst defenses against tight ends last year. Play him.

Zach Ertz - Ertz has improved every year in the NFL and a week one matchup with Cleveland makes him a solid option.

Jordan Cameron - Yes he’s playing Seattle who has a good defense, but Seattle gave up double digit points in 2015 to tight ends on Cleveland, LA, and San Francisco. Not exactly the cream of the crop.

SIT

Jason Witten - Witten is a sure fire Hall of Famer but he’s firmly on the back nine of his career. With a rookie quarterback and running back starting behind him he’s likely to do a lot of blocking this week.

Start instead: Eric Ebron DET

Antonio Gates- Like Witten, Gates is going to end up in Canton but his best days are behind him. In two games against Kansas City last year Gates combined for seven points. Stay away.

Start Instead: Charles Clay Buff

Zach Miller - He’s missed most of the preseason with a concussion so rust is an issue. He’s also playing against a Houston defense that just got JJ Watt back so he may be kept in to block.

Start instead: Gary Barnridge Cle