1. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
As the clear No. 1 fantasy tight end heading into the season, Graham will likely find himself atop similar lists all year long. Not only is Graham going up against a Falcons defense that yielded the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends last year, he's put up an average of over 60 yards and nearly one touchdown per outing in eight career games against the division rivals.
Dwight Lowery and a combination of either Robert Alford or Josh Wilson will be tasked with going up against Graham in coverage. This is a matchup made in heaven for those of you who own the All-Pro tight end.
Projected Statistics: Seven receptions, 100 yards and one touchdown
2. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers
Speaking of matchups made in heaven, Davis should eat big time against an atrocious Dallas Cowboys defense. Where a currently injured Sean Lee would normally be tasked with providing coverage against the uber-talented tight end, that role is going to be left up to Rolando McClain this upcoming weekend. Needless to say, McClain won't be able to handle Davis one on one, which means that Barry Church will have to help over the top.
If you needed another reason to rely on Davis for elite numbers in Week 1, Dallas yielded the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends last season...with Lee in the lineup for 11 games. Dallas could line Sterling Moore up in coverage against Davis, but that's not bound to work. Despite an inconsistent fantasy performance last season, Davis finished the year as a decent TE1 option. Look for him to improve on that output Week 1.
Projected Statistics: Five receptions, 82 yards and one touchdown
3. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Gronkowski is nearly fully healthy and ready to go for Week 1. Despite some concern over him being rusty, there is absolutely no reason to knock the talented tight end too far down in our rankings. Simply put, he produces at an elite level whenever on the field. This is evidenced by the fact that Gronkowski finished as a mid-tier TE2 despite missing all but seven games a season ago.
New England will be tasked with going up against a Miami Dolphins defense that gave up the fifth-most fantasy points to tight ends last season. This is an indication that he's going to pick up where he left off before going down last year.
Projected Statistics: Five reeptions, 80 yards and one touchdown
4. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles
Ertz is looking to take that next step and become fantasy relevant this season. If the Eagles focus on tight ends through the preseason and training camp is any indication, this second-year player could very well have a breakout campaign. As it relates to Week 1, he has the pleasure of going up against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that yielded over 1,000 receiving yards and the third-most fantasy points to tight ends last season.
Projected Statistics: Five receptions, 70 yards and one touchdown
5. Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos
With LaRon Landry likely going up agianst Thomas on Sunday night, there is a whole heck of a lot to like in this matchup for the young tight end. The reason why he's a little lower on this list is due to the fact that Indianapolis yielded the fifth-fewest amount of fantasy points a season ago. The primary reason for this is due to the presence of Darius Butler as the Colts nickel back. This may very well force Peyton Manning to look at his outside options against a less-than-stellar starting cornerback tandem in Indianapolis. Of course, Thomas' value changes based on whether recently suspended Wes Welker will see action in Week 1.
Projected Statistics: Four recptions, 65 yards and one touchdown
6. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers
Carolina has to be expecting some big things from Olsen in 2014, especially after it lost a ton of receiving options for Cam Newton this past offseason. As it is, Olsen finished with the eighth-most fantasy points at his position last season and will be lining up against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that finished in the bottom third of the NFL in fantasy points allowed to tight ends. Even with Kelvin Benjamin primed for a solid rookie campaign at wide receiver, Olsen is going to get his. That starts Week 1.
Projected Statistics: Eight receptions, 100 yards and zero touchdowns
7. Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins
Washington's receiving threats should have a field day against a Houston Texans secondary that is among the worst in the NFL. If Robert Griffin III is able to get some protection upfront, there is no reason to believe that Reed won't be able to put up some huge numbers here.
Kendrick Lewis will have to put up his best performance in stopping Reed come Sunday. If not, Houston may be forced to shade more coverage over to his side. Which isn't necessarily a solid option considering Washington has Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson on the outside.
Projected Statistics: Eight receptions, 90 yards and zero touchdowns
8. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Witten would normally be much higher on this list, but he's going up against a San Francisco 49ers' defense that has been stingy against opposing tight ends in the past. They ranked in the top half of the NFL in points against last season. While NaVorro Bowman's injury may very well hurt the 49ers in this category, Patrick Willis is more than capable of handling coverage duties. In addition to this, Eric Reid proved last season he can go up and win against more physical tight ends.
All that said, the pure volume of targets that Witten will receive come Sunday is going to give him a solid fantasy output against the 49ers.
Projected Statistics: Seven receptions, 80 yards and zero touchdowns
9. Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts
We continue to hear about what Allen brings to the table, but an injury last season really set back his progression towards fantasy production. Andrew Luck has a history of utilizing his tight ends in Pep Hamilton's scheme. And it's highly unlikely that this will change in 2014.
While T.J. Ward could very well hold Allen in check come Sunday night, I expect the Clemson product to be one of the primary focuses of Luck's passing game when all is said and done. For what it's worth, Denver finished last season giving up the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends last season.
Projected Statistics: Three receptions, 40 yards and one touchdown
10. Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns
One would think that Cameron's fantasy value should be sky high with Josh Gordon out of the mix, but that's simply not going to be the case. Sure he's going to receive more targets. That's not a point of contention. However, defenses will be able to push coverage towards him with Cleveland's lack of receiving options on the outside. Week 1 likely won't bring Cameron owners a great deal of success going up against a good Pittsburgh Steelers defense.
Projected Statistics: Six receptions, 50 yards and zero touchdowns