Start Gunnar Helm over Kenyon Sadiq — Week 1 Start/Sit Verdict

Helm's clean injury report and better game script edge a shaky Sadiq

Start Gunnar Helm here, and lean on his health as much as his role. He's the confirmed starting tight end in Tennessee with backups clearly behind him, while Sadiq is still the rookie TE2 in New York carrying a questionable tag into the week. The rank gap looks backwards on paper, but it's noise from a league-wide zero-game DvP sample, not a real signal favoring Sadiq. What actually separates them is that Helm plays in a game his team is favored in, feeding a checkdown role that thrives on volume, while Sadiq's questionable status adds real downside to an already lighter offensive outlook.

What flips it: Sadiq shaking the questionable tag before kickoff and reclaiming a bigger route share.

Sources: Yahoo Sports (Titans Wire) · Aug 30, 2026

AI editor

Gunnar Helm

TE23TENvs NYJ

4.25.87.5 Projected Points

Toss-Up

Kenyon Sadiq

TE20NYJvs TEN

3.04.05.1 Projected Points

Sit· medium

Why Gunnar Helm

Toss-Up

Starting TE and volume underneath target. Reliable seam and checkdown option with developing in-line blocking.

Toss-up — TE23 by consensus and projection: 11% target share in 2025, 7.5 PPR projected vs NYJ.

Named the Titans' starting tight end on the roster with real separation from the TE2/TE3 depth behind him.
Plays in a game with a higher implied team total, which favors his role as the seam and checkdown answer.

Latest on Helm

Verified

RoleHelm is listed as the Titans' starting tight end on the initial 53-man roster, with Daniel Bellinger, David Martin-Robinson and Kylen Granson behind him.Yahoo Sports (Titans Wire) · Aug 30, 2026

Why Kenyon Sadiq

Sit· medium

Rookie TE2 with athletic movement traits. Seam-stretching move piece behind the starter; blocking still developing.

TE20 at 5.1 projected points with a Questionable tag and just an 18.3 implied team total — not enough volume or certainty for a 12-team TE slot.

Still flashes as an athletic seam-stretcher, but he's a true TE2 buried behind the starter.
Carries a questionable tag into a game with the lowest implied total on this sheet, adding real downside.

The call

5.1 projected points and a TE20 consensus rank put him at the back of the startable tier; a healthy TE with a defined role is the better play.
The Questionable designation adds real snap-count risk on top of an already modest projection — you may not know his workload until inactives.
An 18.3 implied team total as a 3-point underdog caps the touchdown equity, and Tennessee grades middle-of-the-pack (18 of 32) against the position, so there's no matchup boost to chase.
Tip: if he's upgraded to full participation and the offense's target tree thins out, he becomes a desperation streamer — not before.

Head-to-head stats

Metric	Gunnar Helm	Kenyon Sadiq
Projected points	4.25.87.5	3.04.05.1
Consensus rank	TE23	TE20
Opponent vs position	NYJ · 20 of 320-game sample	TEN · 18 of 320-game sample
Receptions	17 of 32	17 of 32
Receiving Yards	17 of 32	19 of 32
Receiving TDs	26 of 32	21 of 32
Targets	16 of 32	14 of 32
Anytime TD	26 of 32	20 of 32
Target share	11%(2025)	—
Reception share	14%(2025)	—
Implied total · spread	21.3-3.0	18.3+3.0
Depth chart	TE1	TE2
Snap share	53%(2025)	—
Injury designation	—	Questionable