Drafting the right tight end can be the X-factor for a championship-winning fantasy football team. It’s not normally a position of great depth, so grabbing one that can end up in the top five could give you a distinct advantage over the rest of your league. This year, there appears to be three elite prospects assuming they can all stay healthy. There are about 10 quality starters, then a log jam of uncertainty. I usually wait on a tight end, but given the significant drop-off, I may invest in the position early on.
Check out the positions we’ve already ranked:
THE TOP 20 FANTASY TIGHT ENDS HEADING INTO 2017
1. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots – Until further notice, Gronk is the best tight end in football. If he can stay healthy, he’s as productive as most elite receivers.
2. Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins – If Gronk is not healthy, Reed is the guy. Injury concerns seem to loom over the two best tight ends, but if Reed can stay healthy, he’s a scoring machine.
3. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs – Kelce finally lived up to the billing in 2016, and finished the season strong. This should carry over to 2017 and make Kelce an elite fantasy tight end.
4. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers – Olsen has been reliable year after year for Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers offense.
5. Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans – Obviously, age is a concern, but I still think Walker is the primary weapon on the Titans offense until Corey Davis develops.
6. Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks – As Graham continues to develop chemistry with Russell Wilson, I expect his fantasy numbers to improve.
7. Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals offense has a lot of weapons. That could end up taking some touches away from Eifert, but I’m not concerned as much about that as I am that he hasn’t shown he can consistently produce for an entire season. I’m not ready to shake the “one year wonder” tag just yet.
8. Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers – Henry has to split opportunities with Antonio Gates, but the legendary Chargers tight end is another year older, and Henry is another year improved. He should be in store for a solid season.
9. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings – Rudolph had the best, most productive season of his six-year career last year. But, was it more the exception or the rule? I don’t know. He’s a safe option, but after six years, we’ve established his ceiling.
10. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles – Ertz has had decent yardage the last three seasons, but hasn’t topped more than four touchdowns in a season in his career. If he could ever bump that number up, he’d be a top-tier tight end prospect.
11. Martellus Bennett, Green Bay Packers – I can’t believe this dude is already in his 10th season in the NFL. But, that’s neither here nor there. The fact is Bennett still catches touchdowns and he’s playing for a potent Packers offense.
12.Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions – 61 catches for 711 yards sounds like a decent line for a tight end…but then, you finish it with “one touchdown,” and your head’s left spinning. How? I don’t know. Thankfully, there’s nowhere to go but up (not true – he could get cut, but I’m trying to be optimistic here)! If he can get closer to his 2015 TD total of five, he should be a productive fantasy tight end.
13. C.J. Fiedorowicz, Houston Texans – At this point, it’s safe to assume we know what we’re going to get with Fiedorowicz. He’s steadily somewhat productive, but never really seems to transcend past that. A good middle-of-the-road fantasy option. If the Texans could find a decent quarterback, his stock would likely rise.
14. Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts – I don’t think anyone’s overly enthused by Doyle’s yardage, but he should catch plenty of touchdowns in the Colts offense.
15. Zach Miller, Chicago Bears – Miller should tumble down the tight end rankings given this year’s quarterback situation in Chicago. Still, on an offense that doesn’t have a whole lot of talent, he should see plenty of targets.
16. O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Howard appears poised to become the best rookie tight end in the league this year. But, that said, I still want to see it before I spend anything more than a late round pick on the kid.
17. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys – Witten is still “ol’ reliable” until he’s not. What else can we really say about the guy at this point? Amazing career, but declining fantasy value.
18. Antonio Gates, Los Angeles Chargers – Unlike Witten, Gates has hot young up-and-comer breathing down his neck. Does Gates have enough left in the take to keep up with Hunter Henry? I don’t know – regardless, he’s not going to be much more than a handcuff to Henry this season.
19. Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The biggest loser in the Bucs’ drafting of Howard, Brate appears set to take a back seat in that offense. The addition of DeSean Jackson hurts, but the drafting of Howard was the final nail in the coffin. Then again, there’s always the chance Howard doesn’t develop properly. In that case, Brate is still a serviceable fantasy tight end. Just looking at the writing on the wall for now.
20. Coby Fleener, New Orleans Saints – With Adrian Peterson, Mark Ingram, and Alvin Kamara, I expect the Saints to run the ball a lot more often. Considering Fleener never really developed into more than a ~50-reception tight end, I have my concerns. But, playing with Drew Brees means there’s always a chance for some explosive offensive plays.
The Dark Horse: Dwayne Allen, New England Patriots – For the last several seasons, the Patriots have rolled with two top-notch tight ends. Allen has always shown immense potential, but never put it together in Indianapolis. If the change of scenery is good for him, he could sneak into the top 10.
Deep, Deep Sleepers: The Atlanta Falcons still haven’t been able to fill the void left by Tony Gonzalez, but they appear excited about second year player Austin Hooper. Looking out West, a change of scenery could prove beneficial for the underperforming Jared Cook. If you can’t post numbers with Aaron Rodgers, I don’t know who you can post numbers with. But, that’s neither here nor there. Cook still has a wealth of talent, and if he ever truly reaches his potential, he could be really good. The obvious problem is that we’ve been saying that since his NFL debut in 2009.
Rookie Impact: The other two rookie tight ends draft in the first round this year were Evan Engram (New York Giants) and David Njoku (Cleveland Browns). I believe Njoku to be the safer prospect, but there’s no doubt that Engram is playing in a much better situation. Both should be on your radar in the later rounds for the enormous upside each possesses.
Tune in next week. I’ll be tackling the defenses.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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