Week 1 Fantasy Football Tight End Starts Featuring Isaiah Likely & Juwan Johnson

Week 1 of NFL and Fantasy Football is finally upon us! This is perhaps the most unpredictable and difficult start/sit week of the year, especially when it comes to the Tight End position and its lack of depth. Assuming you don’t have a Top 5 Tight End on your roster, we’ll cover a few of the players that you should be starting week 1 for those who drafted tight ends in the mid to late rounds.

And don't forget to check out three tight ends fantasy managers may want to leave on the bench. Now, let's check out three middle-round tight ends who should be in starting lineups this week.

Dallas Goedert

Goedert is the safest play of the three players I'll be discussing in this article. Philadelphia, despite whatever Jalen Hurts slander you may have heard, remains one of the premier offenses in the league. Goedert has already proven he can produce TE1 numbers without commanding a massive target share.

Earlier in his career, Goedert consistently produced solid yardage but seemed cursed when it came to finding the end zone. Last season flipped that script, as he scored 11 touchdowns. Repeating that number may be a tall task, but the seal has been broken. Goedert should continue to be a factor in the red zone while providing a relatively safe floor in receptions and yardage.

Isaiah Likely

Likely joins Big Blue for its annual week 1 matchup with the Cowboys. Likely comes into an offense with one of this year’s fantasy breakout candidates Jaxson Dart as his quarterback. He joins the offense as the team’s number one tight end on the depth chart, and no real competition when it comes to pass-catching tight ends on the squad. This is Likely’s chance to have a breakout season and it starts Week 1 against a potent Cowboys offense where the Giants will need that upside and potential from Jaxson Dart to keep up. Dart will need Likely to aid in that quest.

Juwan Johnson

Many experts are calling Juwan Johnson one of the best late-round values in fantasy football, and it's easy to see why. Johnson finished last season with just under 900 receiving yards and really started to develop chemistry with Tyler Shough down the stretch as the quarterback continued to improve.

Johnson exploded over the final three games of the season, totaling 245 yards on 15 receptions on 18 targets. That late-season production gives him plenty of momentum heading into 2026.

His Week 1 matchup against the Lions could also set up for another strong performance. Detroit's potent offense should force New Orleans to keep pace, and the game's 48.5-point over/under is tied for the third-highest total of Week 1.

With the potential for a high-scoring game and Johnson's late-season surge, he's a strong start for Week 1.

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