Fantasy Football Tight End Injuries Before Week 1: Isaiah Likely, Darren Waller, and More

Injuries in the NFL are an unfortunate reality. It's a brutal game, and teams lose guys to injuries every week. The lucky ones are those who only miss a few games rather than an entire season.

In the world of fantasy football, that means a different outlook nearly every week. Owners who win in fantasy usually do so because of luck and their team staying healthy, not some ultimate skill or knowledge they possess over everyone else. (Everyone has experienced at least one season where the winner was your aunt who never watches a game or someone who goes weeks without checking their team.)

The injury problems start as early as Week 1, as owners are having to navigate lingering issues from 2024 and new maladies that popped up during training camp and the preseason.

Let's look at some of those injuries that are affecting tight ends as the season commences. Some of these are newer, while others are problems from last year, but each of them is affecting fantasy Week 1. We will talk about both the injured player and those who could benefit from a fantasy perspective.

Check out the FantasySP injury roundup each week to keep current with which players might miss time.

Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens

Likely has been ruled out of Week 1 as he deals with a broken bone in his foot suffered during training camp. It's a blow to the Ravens, as they are without a weapon against the Buffalo Bills; this game could decide home-field advantage in the playoffs. Likely has also appeared in all but two games in his career, so it's a rarity for him to be absent for fantasy owners.

With Likely out, Mark Andrews gets an obvious bump. He will be the lone tight end featured and the focus of any tight-end-specific play, like a screen. You were going to start Andrews anyway, though, so it's more about the other pass catchers.

Zay Flowers is a fringe weekly starter, and he could see a few more targets without Likely on the field. Rashod Bateman and free agent addition DeAndre Hopkins are the next guys in the pecking order who could benefit from having one fewer player to fight with for targets. Neither Bateman nor Hopkins is a real fantasy option in most leagues, but this is a positive in their favor in very deep leagues.

Advice: You're starting Andrews every week and Flowers in many weeks, though it's worth considering leaving Flowers on the bench against the tough Bills. Bateman and Hopkins should only be considered under desperation conditions, which can also be said about backup tight end Charlie Kolar.

New Orleans Saints Tight Ends

Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau

Hill tore his ACL in early December and is beginning the season on the PUP list, meaning he will miss at least the first four games. His return date is very uncertain, as is how he will look upon his return. At 35 years old, a player who depends on his athleticism coming off a major knee injury is at risk of never looking the same again.

Moreau suffered his own knee injury at the end of 2024 and is also on the PUP list, forcing him to miss four games. While Hill is a viable fantasy tight end because of his versatility, Moreau isn't really an option, topping out at 33 catches and 420 yards in any season. This is more about the man who is left standing.

Juwan Johnson is the clear top tight end in New Orleans for at least the first month of the season (and probably longer). Johnson set career highs with 50 receptions for 548 yards last year, though his three touchdowns were his fewest since his rookie year of 2020. He finished close to TE20 in both standard and PPR last season, a player who should only be considered in the right situations.

Week 1 against the Cardinals could be a tough matchup. Arizona was very average in most defensive areas last season, and they imported more talented players this offseason. Josh Sweat was signed to a big free agent contract; projected top-10 pick, cornerback Will Johnson, fell to the second round. Solid veterans like Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson were also added.

Advice: The lack of competition at his position makes Johnson a player worth considering, but he is unlikely to have great performances, especially without a good matchup. He also has a below-average quarterback in Spencer Rattler, so Johnson needs a lot to go right for a big game.

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

Waller will miss Week 1 with a hip injury, pushing back his return from retirement at least one week. That's especially disappointing because Waller was set to start with a great matchup against the Colts, a below-average defense last year.

Waller has dealt with injuries often in his career, playing more than 12 games only twice in nine years. Early in the season would seem to be the most likely time to be healthy, so this might not portend good things. We'll probably need to see success before we can believe it.

While there are concerns, there is also plenty of intrigue because Waller is taking the spot of Jonnu Smith in Miami. Last season, Smith set new career highs with 88 receptions on 111 targets with 884 yards and eight touchdowns. If Waller can even approximate that, he will become a weekly starter.

The backup tight ends shouldn't be counted on in Miami. Julian Hill and Tanner Conner are both third-year undrafted players who fit better as backups. The players more likely to get a bump are receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who will be expected to lead the charge every game but now have one less guy commanding targets behind them.

Advice: Stay away from every pass catcher in Miami this week other than Tyreek Hill and Waddle.