10 TE sleepers to target for fantasy football Week 1

Let’s break down 10 tight end sleepers to target for fantasy football Week 1.

Tight end is the shallowest position in fantasy football. There is a steep drop-off after Travis Kelce, Darren Waller, and George Kittle and even steeper drop-off after the top ten. If you are looking for a sleeper for Week 1, let’s look at some quality options.

Dan Arnold, Carolina Panthers

Rostered: 1.0%

The Carolina Panthers will open their season against the New York Jets. The Jets defense struggled to contain tight ends last season. They allowed the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends in the NFL. In addition, they were the only team to allow more than 1,000 receiving yards to tight ends last season, and they gave up a league-high 14 receiving touchdowns to tight ends.

Arnold signed a two-year deal with the Panthers in the offseason. He spent last season with the Arizona Cardinals recording 31 receptions for 438 yards and four touchdowns. He was not a consistent fantasy option, but he is capable of having some strong individual performances. Last season, he had 61 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13.

According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, Arnold is building strong chemistry with quarterback Sam Darnold:

"“The other day, Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass to tight end Dan Arnold, and he yells, ‘Darnold to Arnold, baby! Get used to seeing that’.”"

He called their connection “one to watch“.

Arnold could have a strong debut with the Panthers against a vulnerable Jets defense.

Jordan Akins, Houston Texans

Rostered: 0.9%

The Houston Texans saw a lot of turnover at the wide receiver position. Will Fuller V, Randall Cobb, and Keke Coutee have all departed; those three players received a total of 163 targets last season. Brandin Cooks and Jordan Akins are the only two returning receivers, who played a large role last season.

Cooks is locked in as the first option, but someone will have to step up and take on a larger role. There is a chance that could be Akins. He has an intriguing amount of upside against the Jaguars defense, which allowed 11 receiving touchdowns to tight ends in 2020 (third-most in the NFL).