The tight end position had a bit of a shakeup when Kellen Winslow was traded to Seattle and the Buccaneers then signed Dallas Clark. I’ve set the over/under for Clark going on Injured Reserve at Week 4. Considering I like the under, that tells you how much worth I think Clark has to fantasy owners in 2012. I increased my tight end rankings from 30 to 40 this time around. I probably won’t go any higher than Top 40 with tight ends.
Just one quick update for the site. I make sure to post at least once a day but I’ll be away this weekend doing family stuff, so I won’t have anything new up until late Sunday night. Next week I’ll be analyzing the latest ADP data. Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend everyone. That’s right it’s Memorial Day. We’re just two months away from preseason football. Then all will be right with the world once again.
2012 Fantasy Tight End Rankings
(Last updated May 25)
Rankings are based on a 12-team league flex format with 1 point awarded per reception
1. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
2. Jimmy Graham, Saints
3. Antonio Gates, Chargers
4. Aaron Hernandez, Patriots ↑
5. Jermichael Finley, Packers
6. Jason Witten, Cowboys
7. Vernon Davis, 49ers
8. Brandon Pettigrew, Lions
9. Jermaine Gresham, Bengals
10. Fred Davis, Redskins ↑
11. Jacob Tamme, Broncos ↑
12. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons
13. Brent Celek, Eagles
14. Jared Cook, Titans ↑
15. Dustin Keller, Jets
16. Owen Daniels, Texans ↑
17. Kyle Rudolph, Vikings ↓
18. Coby Fleener, Colts ↓
19. Greg Olsen, Panthers
20. Ed Dickson, Ravens ↓
21. Tony Moeaki, Chiefs ↑
22. Kellen Winslow, Seahawks ↓
23. Benjamin Watson, Browns
24. Heath Miller, Steelers
25. Dennis Pitta, Ravens ↑
26. Luke Stocker, TE Bucs ↑
27. Lance Kendricks, Rams
28. Martellus Bennett, Giants ↑
29. Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars ↓
30. Dwayne Allen, Colts ↑
31. Anthony Fasano, Dolphins ↓
32. Scott Chandler, Bills ↓
33. Zach Miller, Seahawks
34. Dallas Clark, Bucs
35. Rob Housler, Cardinals
36. Brandon Myers, Raiders
37. John Carlson, Vikings
38. Joel Dreessen, Broncos
39. Evan Rodriquez, Bears
40. Chris Cooley, Redskins
In the Mix
Michael Egnew, Dolphins
Ladarius Green, Chargers
Jake Ballard, Giants
Going Up
Hernandez - The more I think about the tight end position the more I think the best value in terms of grabbing an elite talent is selecting Hernandez in Round 5. I’m not suggesting for a second that Gronk won’t put up big numbers but Bill Belichick is a proactive coach. He knows defenses are going to do whatever they can to try and stop Gronkowski this year and that should open things up even more for Hernandez. The bottom line in my book is the Patriots have two Top 5 fantasy tight ends, so if you don’t want to use a first round pick on Gronk, getting Hernandez four rounds later isn’t a bad consolation prize.
Davis - Davis showed signs of things to come last year by catching 59 passes for 796 yards and 3 touchdowns. Now imagine what Davis will do with an NFL-caliber quarterback throwing him the ball. He should improve on all of those numbers in 2012. Davis is currently being drafted in Round 8 on average as the ninth tight end off the board. By season’s end Davis could be one of the biggest draft-day steals.
Tamme -If you go back and look at Tamme’s numbers when he played with Peyton Manning once Dallas Clark got hurt a couple of years ago, there’s a lot to be excited about. I love Demaryius Thomas but one of the reasons I have him rated a little low in PPR leagues is because I see Tamme and Eric Decker being the first and second options a lot of the times. Tamme is currently being selected on average in Round 7. That’s not bad value for Peyton Manning’s starting tight end.
Cook - I’m still not quite buying into all the hype with Cook because it seems like we do this every summer but it’s hard not to get infatuated with his physical skills. One of the reasons I moved Cook up is because fantasy owners are actually being smart with him. Cook currently has an ADP of Round 12. If you can get a tight end with his upside that late in the draft I’m all for it. Just be sure not to overvalue Cook on draft day.
Stocker - Just as I figured, people are overreacting to the Clark signing. Clark’s ADP puts him in Round 13, while Stocker isn’t even getting drafted in most leagues. That’s a mistake. Listen, if Clark had much left in the tank a team would have signed a player of his caliber a long time ago. The fact that the Broncos signed two tight ends this offseason and neither of them were Clark is probably all we need to know. I think the Bucs are just hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. That’s not a bad move for them but it won’t do much for fantasy owners. Tampa Bay parting ways with Winslow is more of the Bucs coaching staff believing Stocker is ready to be the team’s starting tight end. Clark will provide help as a receiver for a few weeks before he ends up on IR but Stocker is the Bucs tight end with the most fantasy value.
Coming Down
Dickson -I like Dickson but as I’ve already written a couple of times, the presence of Dennis Pitta is starting to concern me a little bit. Pitta came on at the end of last season when Dickson was struggling with drops. Dickson had a couple of big games in 2011 but he needs to be more consistent. He’s is a solid No. 2 tight end but Pitta is starting to intrigue me more and more. I currently have Dickson at No. 20 and Pitta at 25, so the latter is closing the gap fast.
Fleener – Fleener is a good prospect but I don’t see him being an elite tight end. Obviously, being teamed with his college quarterback, Andrew Luck, is a huge advantage. I actually like Dwayne Allen a little more as a long-term prospect but it’s hard to ignore the built-in chemistry between Fleener and Luck. People are getting a little ahead of themselves with Fleener though. He’s getting drafted two rounds earlier than Gresham on average and that’s just craziness in my opinion. You can count on one hand the number of rookie tight ends that have made a big fantasy splash. Look at the Top 30 tight ends. How many of them were productive fantasy starters as rookies? I like Fleener as a No. 2 tight end this year but he’s being drafted as a starter. That may be asking too much.
Winslow - I received some e-mails stating that I had Winslow ranked way too low. Apparently Greg Schiano wasn’t one of the people who e-mailed me. Listen, I wrote before that I had to start Winslow for a couple of weeks last year when I was in-between one of my 78 trades. It was painful. If you watched Winslow closely last year you saw a player who’s skills are rapidly declining. Winslow is nothing more than a TE2 at this point.
Lewis -The more I look at this Jacksonville offense the more I want to puke. Hey puke, that’s a funny word. I don’t see one Jaguars player, other than Maurice Jones-Drew, that I want in a re-draft league this year. Maybe Justin Blackmon but when I feel a receiver has more value if Chad Henne is the starting quarterback, that’s obviously a big concern. I can’t envision a world where people are starting Lewis as their fantasy tight end this season.
Myers - I give you the promise all the time that I’ll never pretend to know a lot about a player if I don’t. Myers is proof of that promise. I know nothing about him other than what I look-up online. Apparently he played at Iowa which is shocking because I have no recollection of him at all. Maybe Myers will be a superstar. I really can’t say. I wouldn’t know the guy if he fell on me.
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Kyle Rudolph if healthy could end up being much more productive then his 17th slot. Alot of that will depend on how much Ponder has matured this off season. And speaking of Minn or former Minn TE’s don’t be surprised if Shiancoe pops up somewhere like Oakland or Arizona. He even at 31 would be an upgrade then what those 2 teams have.
I love Rudolph. I think he’s going to be a stud. I’ve had him as high as 14. I’m waiting to see how the QB situation shakes out there but I agree, he’s a guy I’m targeting this year, especially in my dynasty league. I think he’s going to become one of the better tight ends in the NFL. Then again he plays for a coaching staff that didn’t know they had Percy Harvin last year until Week 8, so who knows?
Indeed Minn was tough to predict, esp after AP went down. But maybe Musgrave with a yr under his belt can settle on a role in Harvin that he’s a WR and not a Slash. I see him more of a young Santana Moss. As long as his head stays intact.
Couldn’t agree more on the Lewis part. The Jacksonville offense is worse than the Browns offense (and that’s saying something). Last year right after the draft I thought I’d scour the waiver wire and saw Lewis standing there, so I nabbed him. I used him one week where he netted me 1.2 points.
Even MJD with the contract crisis and that awful team will suffer.
My league is ppr only for te, and te is not mandatory its a flex, TE/WR.. I don’t plan to take either Gronk or Graham so early. Who do you think has a chance to put up anything close to their #’s? I like Gates and Finley. Thnx
I like either Hernandez or Finley (both have an ADP of Round 5) or Brandon Pettigrew (ADP of Round 8). I think getting Hernandez in the fifth round is one of the best values so far in early mocks. Don’t sleep on Pettigrew in PPR leagues either. He drops some balls but the Lions throw so much that he still put up 83 receptions last year. You can also look at Jermaine Gresham in Round 10 or 11. I think he’s primed for a breakout season. So if you want to draft a TE in the Round 5 area I would consider either Hernandez or Finley. If you end up waiting a little longer target Pettigrew or Gresham. Hernandez would be my top choice though if you can get him. Good luck.
I can keep Jimmy graham in the 5th round or aaron hernandez in the 11th round. Every season you take off 2 rounds so 2 years from now i can keep graham in the 3rd and hernandez in the 9th etc. etc. Who would you keep?? It’s a 0.5 PPR and we can start 2 TE’s (1 TE and one at flex).
Hernandez is tempting because of the value but I would keep Graham. He’s a premier player in an offense that should continue to be good for a while and you only lose a 5th round pick. I like Hernandez but this is an easy call. Keep Graham.
Gronk going where he is, means he HAS to do again what he did last year, and i don’t wanna bet a 12-15 pick it happens again with the injury and addition of Lloyd. Plus with Belichick’s willingness to change the landscape of his O, it could in fact be all your boy Hernandez this year. I like Graham more for where he’s going, at least i feel he’s got a better shot to rinse wash and repeat the creation of the Super Tight End tier him and Gronk made for last year. With all the WR’s in 3-7 i can see why their going so high. Sure would be nice to end up with a TE that outscored all the rest by a benjamin,.. bet it’d be worth some benjamins,..
The more I think about it the more I’m starting to like Graham by a hair for the reasons you stated. It’s close no matter how you slice it but Hernandez is really becoming one of my draft day targets. I love his value in the Round 5 area. I actually almost put Graham in the top spot this time but having Gronk myself last year, I just couldn’t pull the trigger. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out this season.