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 will create mismatches for opposing defenses. That’s good news for fantasy owners. It was just a few years ago that it looked like the tight end position was almost becoming extinct in the passing game. That’s no longer the case, as both Gronk and Graham are being selected in the Top 20 overall picks on average. Here’s a look at my Top 25 dynasty league tight ends.
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. 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.
4. 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.
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. 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. 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.
7. Jason Witten, Cowboys
Witten is 30 and his back and knees are starting to slow him down. 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.
8. Jermaine Gresham, Bengals
I’ve been all in on Gresham since he was at Oklahoma. He’s still my highest rated tight end, along with Davis, to come out of college in the last 15 years. 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.
9. Antonio Gates, Chargers
When big guys have problems with their feet it’s 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.
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. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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. Olsen caught 45 balls last year. I can see him topping 60 receptions this season, which puts him in that Brent Celek/Dustin Keller-area of being a low end starting fantasy tight end.
19. 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.
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. Kellen Winslow, Bucs
Last year between one of my 75 trades I was in flux at tight end and I had to start Winslow. It was painful. Like Daniels, look for Winslow to become more valuable as a blocker now that the Bucs will feature a more power-based rushing attack. At 28, Winslow doesn’t offer a lot of upside in dynasty leagues. He’ll still post solid reception numbers for you but Winslow doesn’t go very far after the catch anymore.
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 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. 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.
24. Zach Miller, Seahawks
Miller was coming off two 60+catch seasons when he signed with Seattle last offseason. Then he fell off the map catching just 25 passes in his first year with the Seahawks. Miller is still just 26 and he showed he can be a threat in Oakland. Hopefully if the quarterback play improves in Seattle, so will Miller’s numbers.
25. 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.
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Joel Dreessen showed flashes of productivity in Houston, when he got his chances. Interestingly, he chose Denver over returning to the Texans. Wonder what his role will be in the new Peyton regime? He strikes me as more of a blocking TE, but Tamme may not be a lock to get most of the TE looks. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Dreessen could have a nice season but I don’t know if he’ll put up strong enough numbers to be counted on by fantasy owners. Denver also has Julius Thomas, who got injured as a rookie but they really like him. I just think with Manning a lot depends on trust and comfort level, that’s why I think Tamme has a leg up to get most of the targets at tight end, especially early on in the year. It wouldn’t surprise me though if Dreessen or Thomas had a solid season too. The Broncos will be an interesting fantasy situation to watch all-around this season.
I must have mis-numbered them when I was moving the players around. I fixed it. Thanks a lot for pointing it out. It slipped right past me.