Week 1 of the NFL season has wrapped up, delivering crucial insights for fantasy football managers eager to make their first moves of 2025. After analyzing target distributions, red-zone opportunities, and emerging usage patterns from the opening week, several tight ends have emerged as prime trade candidates for savvy fantasy football players.
Whether you’re looking to capitalize on early-season value or sell high on name recognition before regression sets in, the tight end position offers unique opportunities in fantasy football trades this week. Here’s a breakdown of the key players to target ahead of Week 2.
Trade Targets to Buy: Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
There was a lot of interest in George Pickens’s Dallas Cowboys debut, but it was tight end Jake Ferguson who was second on the team in targets behind CeeDee Lamb. Ferguson is a favorite target of Prescott, who targeted him twice in the end zone in Week 1.
The Cowboys’ passing game was inconsistent, but Prescott looked impressive overall, which bodes well for Ferguson. Lamb and Pickens will continue to spread defenses and give the tight end plenty of space in the middle of the field this season.
READ MORE: Fantasy Football Buy Low, Sell High In Week 2: Trade Targets Include Isiah Pacheco, Calvin Ridley, and Jake Ferguson
The Cowboys’ passing game should improve in Week 2, having shaken off some rust against Philadelphia. Ferguson should be a top-ten tight end for the rest of the year, with weekly touchdown upside.
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
David Njoku’s disappointing Week 1 won’t have fantasy managers panicking, but the fact that he was out-targeted by rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. might. In the Cleveland Browns’ opening-day loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Njoku caught three of his six targets for just 37 yards.
Fannin was targeted nine times, catching seven for 63 yards. Njoku was drafted as a top-10 tight end (TE9) this year, but managers will now be wondering if he is even the first-choice tight end on his own team.
DAVID NJOKU TOUCHDOWN. THE BROWNS HAVE A SECOND HALF LEAD. pic.twitter.com/rauQ5MclrI
— Max Loeb (@loebsleads) October 27, 2024
The veteran remains one of the hardest players to stop with the ball in his hands, and his incredible size and athleticism make him stand out. He has a great relationship with quarterback Joe Flacco and would be worth trading for if available in any of your leagues.
Trade Targets to Sell: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Travis Kelce’s name value saw him taken fifth at the position in drafts this year, but that value is set to deteriorate each week, as we get closer to WR Rashee Rice’s return. In the three weeks that Kelce shared a field with a healthy Rice in 2024, he averaged just four targets and five fantasy points per game.
Tight ends can often be touchdown-dependent in fantasy, but the point of having a top player at the position is to have a solid, reliable floor each week. Without his touchdown against the Chargers, Kelce would have scored 6.7 fantasy points in Week 1.
Beautiful play design to get Travis Kelce WIDE OPEN for the long Touchdown.
pic.twitter.com/2qIavtx6lm— FakeFootballFun (@FakeFootballFun) September 6, 2025
Kelce scored just three receiving touchdowns in 2024, so if he is going to rely on touchdowns for fantasy production, you may as well be streaming the position.
WRs Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster both out-targeted Kelce in Week 1, with Rice and Xavier Worthy also in line for significant targets when healthy. If someone is willing to offer you any value for the legendary tight end, you should be open to it, as any trade value could be gone before you know it.
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Sam LaPorta was targeted nine times in the Detroit Lions’ 27-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, as the reigning NFC North Champions struggled on the ground. The Packers did a great job nullifying Detroit’s feared rushing attack — the Lions were forced to throw as their offense played exclusively from behind.
MORE: Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer
LaPorta topped eight targets only once last season, and the Lions would no doubt love to be more run-heavy in future weeks. Laporta went into the season already ranked among the top four tight ends and could fetch a significant haul in a trade.
The Lions star finished 2024 as the TE8, but his TE1 finish in 2023 still holds weight in fantasy. Those who merely want security at tight end can be forgiven for wanting to hold LaPorta, but exploring his market this week could prove rewarding.