2025 Fantasy Football Week 1 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em TE Picks ft. George Kittle, Jonnu Smith, and more

Week 1 of the 2025 Fantasy Football season has finally arrived, and all managers should be working on their starting lineups. Picking the right tight ends can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing. Here are some of the best ones to target and fade for the opening week of this season.

Fantasy Football Week 1 TEs Start 'Em Picks

Week 1 Starts

Week 1 is always one of the most difficult weeks to navigate in any Fantasy Football season. Many unknowns surround most players with the kickoff to a new season, including what type of role they will play in their offensive systems in the coming year. Those with the most unchanged situations from the season before are often the safest picks in Week 1.

George Kittle is an ideal example of this for tight ends in 2025, and he could even get an additional boost to his already elite fantasy value to open the year. He has finished among the top five tight ends in Fantasy Football in each of the past four years and has consistency with the coach and quarterback situation.

The San Francisco 49ers moved on from Deebo Samuel during the offseason, and Brandon Aiyuk is currently on the injured list. Jauan Jennings' availability is also in question, so Kittle has an intriguing path to a massive workload this week. He is always one of the best options for the position, but he appears to be a home run pick against the Seattle Seahawks.

Must Starts

• George Kittle
• Brock Bowers
• Trey McBride
• Travis Kelce
• Sam LaPorta
• Mark Andrews

DFS Picks

• Jake Ferguson
• Tucker Kraft
• David Njoku

Fantasy Football Week 1 TEs Sit 'Em Picks

Week 1 sits

Identifying which tight ends to fade is just as important as deciding which ones to target in a given week. This can often be the result of going through major changes during the offseason, such as switching teams, playing in a new offensive system, or dealing with additional target competition.

Jonnu Smith is a typical example of this in Week 1 after switching teams to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He broke out for a career-best TE4 finish with the Miami Dolphins last year, but his path to a consistent workload is much more questionable this year. He will compete with Pat Freiermuth for playing time, so it's better to wait and see with Smith before plugging him into lineups.

Must Sits

• Jonnu Smith
• Mike Gesicki
• Cole Kmet
• Dalton Schultz
• Pat Freiermuth
• Darren Waller

DFS Fades

• TJ Hockenson
• Tyler Higbee
• Hunter Henry