I finish up my updated dynasty rankings with tight ends. Thanks to guys like Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham, tight end is all the rage in the NFL these days. More and more teams are trying to find athletic tight ends that can create mismatches for opposing defenses. That’s good news for fantasy owners, who are finding more talented options at the position than ever before. Here’s a look at my Top 25 dynasty league tight ends.
Rankings are based on a 12-team league flex format with 1 point awarded per reception
1. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
Gronkowski is 22-years old and he’s already scored 27 touchdowns and caught 132 passes. That’s probably enough analysis, right? I really don’t think I need to go on.
2. Jimmy Graham, Saints
Gronk is an absolute monster but Graham may be the biggest matchup nightmare in the NFL not nicknamed Megatron. As long as Graham and Drew Brees stay healthy, there should be no stopping them.
3. Aaron Hernandez, Patriots
Remember when we wondered why the Patriots were drafting two tight ends so high? Gronk is so out of this world that Hernandez may actually be underrated by the casual observer. He’s not underrated by fantasy owners though. We all know how good Hernandez is and I think he’s going to get even better. That’s pretty scary.
4. Jermichael Finley, Packers
I know people are down on Finley after last season but he’s still just 25 and very few tight ends have his physical skills. I’m expecting a huge season out of Finley in 2012. I don’t really have a reason other than it’s a hunch. Oh, and he plays with Aaron Rodgers. That’s probably a bigger factor than my hunch.
5. Vernon Davis, 49ers
Davis is 28 but he’s still an athletic freak. Alex Smith improved by leaps and bounds last year and now the 49ers have added speed at receiver. Amazingly Davis has never recorded a 1,000-yard season but 2012 could finally be the year he gets over the hump. If Smith plays like he did last year, I like Davis to post numbers similar to his 2009 campaign (78 receptions, 965 yards and 13 touchdowns).
6. Jason Witten, Cowboys
Witten is 30 and his back and knees are starting to slow him down a bit. Witten is always going to catch his share of passes. Just don’t expect a lot of big plays from Witten anymore because he doesn’t separate from defenders like he once did. I wish more Cowboys played with Witten’s toughness.
7. Brandon Pettigrew, Lions
Pettigrew has all the physical skills to be an elite tight end. Well, all of them other than he drops way too many balls. Still, even with the drops, Pettigrew caught 83 passes last year. The Lions may throw the ball more than any other team over the next couple of years, so Pettigrew will record a lot of receptions for fantasy owners. One negative though could be the addition of Ryan Broyles, who I expect to be a receptions monster in the slot for Detroit.
8. Jermaine Gresham, Bengals
I’ve been all in on Gresham since he was at Oklahoma. The Bengals used Gresham more as a blocker earlier in his career but last season he started to emerge as a receiver. I think 2012 is his breakout year. Gresham could end up being a Top 5 fantasy tight end this season if things break his way. He has the talent.
9. Antonio Gates, Chargers
When big guys have problems with their feet it’s obviously a concern to me. Guys like Gates and Shaq have so much weight to carry around that foot problems are a big deal. Gates is still productive when he plays but at 31 the recent injury concerns are a red flag in dynasty leagues.
10. Fred Davis, Redskins
Davis is only 26 and emerging as one of the top tight ends in the NFL. He 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. I probably have him rated too low.
11. Brent Celek, Eagles
Celek has come on strong in each of the last two seasons. He’s still just 27 and plays in a good offense. The problem with Celek is he’s one of those guys that either has a big game or doesn’t do much at all, so he’s a bit inconsistent. Celek will continue to be just a low-end fantasy starter but you can do worse than a tight end that will give you 60+ receptions most years.
12. Dustin Keller, Jets
Keller would actually be ranked higher if he played on a team with a more consistent passing attack. You put a guy with Keller’s skills on a team like New England and he’s a stud. On the Jets, Keller is similar to Celek where he’ll give you some big weeks and then disappear when Mark Sanchez is having a bad day. Inconsistent quarterback play is the only thing holding Keller back. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look like it will change any time soon.
13. Jared Cook, Titans
It seems like every season is finally the year Cook is going to breakout. I feel like he’s been a sleeper for 10 years. I wrote when Cook came out of college that he was talented but very raw. I thought it would take him 2-3 years to develop into a productive tight end. Well, Cook is now entering his fourth season, so if he’s going to take that next step, this will be the year. The good news is Cook’s numbers have gone up in each of his first three seasons. My gut tells me Cook will be good but not quite as good as some people are predicting.
14. Coby Fleener, Colts
In terms of overall talent I actually like Dwayne Allen more than Fleener but it’s hard to ignore the fact that Andrew Luck and Fleener have been reunited in Indianapolis. I see Fleener putting up Celek-type numbers. He’ll catch his share of passes but in my opinion Fleener doesn’t play as fast as his timed speed. He has more value if you play in PPR leagues.
15. Jacob Tamme, Broncos
Tamme is 27 and could have a couple of years with Peyton Manning throwing him the ball. That’s really all I got for you. If a tight end has Manning throwing to him, that’s pretty much my selling point.
16. Kyle Rudolph, Vikings
I’m really high on Rudolph. I think he would have had a bigger rookie year under a different coaching staff. Then again, how can we expect the Vikings coaches to know what they have in Rudolph when it took them half a season to realize they need to get Percy Harvin the ball? Look for Rudolph to emerge in 2012 and become one of the better fantasy tight ends over the next couple of seasons.
17. Owen Daniels, Texans
There are a few reasons I don’t really like Daniels. He’s 29, has battled a lot of injuries and is now being used more as a blocker in a run-first offense. Daniels is still a dangerous red zone target and he’ll put up a big game or two but his days of being a Top 10 fantasy tight end are over in my opinion.
18. Ed Dickson, Ravens
Dickson showed flashes last year by catching 54 passes for 528 yards and 5 scores. I like Dickson but be careful to not rank him too high. As I already pointed out, Dennis Pitta came on at the end of last season and will likely eat into Dickson’s overall production. I’m actually starting to get really intrigued with Pitta as a quality sleeper tight end.
19. Greg Olsen, Panthers
Olsen is still only 27 and he would be much more productive if he ever played in an offense that featured the tight end. I like Olsen for 2012 though. He caught 45 balls last year and I can see Olsen topping 60 receptions this season, which puts him in that Brent Celek/Dustin Keller-area of being a low end starting fantasy tight end.
20. Tony Moeaki, Chiefs
Here’s a guy flying under the radar, especially in dynasty leagues. Sometimes a young player will get hurt and people forget about him. Moeaki missed all of 2011 but he had a solid rookie season, catching 47 passes. Moeaki is still recovering from a knee injury but he’s expected to be ready for the start of the season. If you’re looking for a young sleeper tight end that’s being undervalued, Moeaki is your guy.
21. Dwayne Allen, Colts
I wrote before the draft that Allen was a guy fantasy owners should know. Now he didn’t land in the perfect spot, considering the Colts also drafted Fleener, but people are panicking too quickly when it comes to Allen. I remember a couple of years ago the Patriots used two high draft picks on tight ends and now both of them are ranked in the Top 5. Plus, Luck loves throwing to his tight ends. Fleener will likely have more immediate fantasy value because of his relationship with Luck but a couple of years down the road, I think Allen has a chance to be the more productive player. Allen is being ranked too low in dynasty league formats right now.
22. Lance Kendricks, Rams
I was really high on Kendricks last season. I actually thought he had a shot to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. Obviously, things didn’t go the way I predicted. Kendricks was actually so bad that I think at one point a month into the year he had more drops than catches. I’m going to give Kendricks one more year before I close the book on him. A lot of things went wrong last season in St. Louis, so maybe with a new regime and atmosphere, Kendricks will show the kind of talent I saw from him at Wisconsin. He’s a guy to keep an eye on early in the year.
23. Heath Miller, Steelers
Miller is what he is. He’s a 29-year old tight end who’s a better blocker than receiver. I always view Miller as an emergency tight end. If you need a tight end in a pinch, you can throw Miller in your lineup and hope he catches a few passes that week and maybe finds the end zone. If you’re looking for consistency though, Miller isn’t your guy and he never will be.
24. Luke Stocker, Bucs
If Dallas 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 Kellen 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.
25. Rob Housler, Cardinals
I have a couple of questions I would like answered. First, is there anyone outside of Arizona who doesn’t think Todd Heap’s career is over? Second, when is the last time the Cardinals had a tight end that was a big factor in the offense? Housler is a talented young guy who doesn’t have a lot standing in his way right now. If I were a betting man I would put my money on Housler being Arizona’s top tight end by the end of the season.
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Hey Thomas
What do you think of Martellus Bennett? With the news of him weighing in at 291, the perception is that he’s fat and not committed. Bennett states he’s been powerlifting all off-season and more mobile than ever. We know he can block, but do you think he has any sleeper fantasy value in New York?
Thanks Joe
The guy is an absolute head case. I’m a Dallas fan and he has some of the worst hands in the world. You’ll read some people online say Bennett didn’t get a chance in Dallas because of Witten. That’s completely inaccurate. Two years ago Dallas was running a lot of two tight end sets to get Bennett more involved but he dropped so many balls that soon Romo stopped throwing to him. His athletic ability is also vastly overrated. He can”t separate and for a big guy he goes down like a sack of potatoes. Don’t let him fool you. At no point is it good for a tight end to get up to 291 pounds unless he’s going to be used primarily as a blocker. No way did the Giants coaches say, “Hey, we want you to catch a lot of balls this year so try and get up to 300 pounds.” I will be absolutely stunned if Bennett ever has fantasy value. He has nothing between the ears. It’s been one thing after another with this guy since the day he was drafted. He’ll help as a blocker but that’s about it. Thanks for the question.
keep an eye on Dreeson. Could have more value than the masses think. Peyton loves his TE’s. Tamme definitely has the edge, but is not a lock to be “the one” as the season unfolds. You heard it here first.
I think Dreessen is going to be used more as a blocker but I could see him catching 6-7 touchdowns near the goal line. Denver also has two young guys in Julius Thomas and Virgil Green, so that could be an interesting position for fantasy owners this season. Dreessen is a valuable player, I just don’t know if he’s ever going to catch a lot of balls. I like the prediction though. I’m always for thinking outside the box and looking for hidden treasures.
One guy you did not mention that could be a hidden gem is Kellen Davis of Da Bears. With the switch in offensive philosophy after the ousting of Martz I think the Bear TEs are going to see more action. 6’7″, 262 lbs and a 4.6 sec 40? GTFO. Would be a great pick up in the later rounds as a TE2
I don’t think I would want him in a dynasty league though. Maybe in a re-draft format. The Bears drafted that kid out of Temple that people seem to really like. I don’t know that much about him personally. I think Davis’ production will obviously go up this year but I’m not sure he’s the long-term answer at tight end for the Bears. I guess we’ll see this year when he gets more opportunities to make plays. Thanks for mentioning him though. I’ve been getting e-mails asking about him as well.
I don’t think he’s really a threat to Davis at all. It’s a good sign that Davis had several interested suitors in free agency and chose to resign with the Bears. The NFL is a copycat league and I think what the Bears are doing is implementing the multiple TE set as more of a staple. ERod (6’2″ 240) is more of an Hback or move TE while Davis (6’7″, 260+) will be on the field a lot more as the in-line TE. I can see them using both of those guys the same way the Pats use Gronk and Hernandez. Teams are going to be so concerned with Brandon Marshall, either Davis or Rodriguez will be wide open. Plus Davis will get most of the red zone looks along with Marshall. Cutler must be giddy just thinking about it.
Really brings up another issue. I would definitely see Forte’s value diminishing. In Martz’s offense, the RB would get the ball quite a bit in the passing game. I think the Bears are going to start going with more of a committee approach like the Patriots. I really think that they have no interest in signing Forte to a long term deal unless he is willing to be paid way below his perceived market value. Cutler is the man. He wanted Marshal, the Bears got him. Cutler wanted to reunite with Jeremy Bates, Bears went out and got him. I think we will see him throwing the ball at the same rate as he was under Martz, but with a completely different offensive scheme and philosophy.