There’s some some movement in my latest tight end rankings. Obviously I’m talking about after the first two guys because Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham are entrenched as the top players unless one of them gets injured. Fantasy owners still have plenty of quality options after the Big 2 though. Here’s a look at my updated Top 30 fantasy tight ends. I’ll have my Top 100 receivers coming tomorrow.
2012 Fantasy Tight End Rankings
(Last updated May 16)
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. Jacob Tamme, Broncos ↑
11. Fred Davis, Redskins
12. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons ↓
13. Brent Celek, Eagles
14. Jared Cook, Titans ↑
15. Dustin Keller, Jets ↑
16. Kyle Rudolph, Vikings
17. Greg Olsen, Panthers ↓
18. Owen Daniels, Texans ↑
19. Coby Fleener, Colts ↓
20. Ed Dickson, Ravens ↓
21. Kellen Winslow, Bucs
22. Tony Moeaki, Chiefs ↑
23. Benjamin Watson, Browns
24. Heath Miller, Steelers ↓
25. Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars ↑
26. Lance Kendricks, Rams
27. Dennis Pitta, Ravens ↑
28. Anthony Fasano, Dolphins
29. Scott Chandler, Bills
30. Martellus Bennett, 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.
Pettigrew - I’ve been hard on Pettigrew so far. I pumped him up last season and thought he would be an elite fantasy tight end. While Pettigrew had a good year, he dropped too many passes. Pettigrew doesn’t have the softest hands in the world but the Lions throw the ball so much he can drop one in five still end the year with 80 receptions. He proved that last season. I like Pettigrew but I would have ranked even higher if he had better hands.
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.
Rudolph - I really liked Rudolph coming out of Notre Dame and I believe a real coaching staff would have gotten him more involved in the offense last year. But considering it took Leslie Frazier and Co. two months to realize they needed to get Percy Harvin on the field, I suppose Rudolph never had a chance. Rudolph has all kinds of talent, so the only people that can hold him down this year are his idiot coaches.
Coming Down
Gonzalez - Gonzo is like Steven Jackson. Every year I expect his production to slip and every year he proves me wrong. Still, at some point Gonzalez’s age is going to catch up with him. Now you add Julio Jones catching more balls in his second season and I see Gonzalez being a low-end fantasy starting tight end in 2012. I’m probably wrong though. This guy may end up playing until he’s 50.
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.
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. I would rather have five or six players currently being selected after Fleener.
Winslow - It’s gotten to the point that if Winslow is your starting fantasy tight end, you need to make a move to get a new tight end. Plus, with Tampa Bay becoming a power running team, Winslow will be relied on more to be a blocker than a receiver most weeks. I would look elsewhere for a starting fantasy tight end this year.
Rankings are based on a 12-team league flex format with 1 point awarded per reception.
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I’m targeting Hernandez/Gresham. Too many other important pieces still on the board for me to justify getting Gronk or Graham in round 2/3. I just can’t do it. I want AJ Green too much.
I would love to end up with those two. Then we would be running the Patriots two-tight end set fantasy style. That would be a big difference from the usual Run and Shoot four receiver set I usually employ.
you play with 4 WRs? Nice. My college league has always played with just the traditional 2 RBs, 2 WRs, 1 TE, and a WR/RBflex spot. I’ve always wanted that flex spot to be TE too.
My re-draft league starts 3 receivers plus a flex spot. Just based on my years of playing I feel in a 12-team league starting three receivers leaves just the right amount of quality players at the position on the waiver wire. Plus there is a better chance that when the Red Zone Channel breaks away to a highlight it could be one of my guys. lol
I am going to worry about the top TEs once I have Antonio Brown secured, which I aim to do in round 4. So if Hernandez is sitting there in round 5 I am going to go all over him.
I see you have nobody from the Bears there, and I don’t even know if they have a TE anymore since Mike Martz would have thought of Mike Ditka as nothing but a blocker but with that awful O-line wouldn’t the Bears’ TE’s value go up since he’ll be getting a lot of quick passes? Unless whoever they have at TE is actually awful
Right now it’s Kellen Davis. I would have to see a strong preseason from him to give him fantasy consideration. That kid they drafted from Temple could wind up being the guy there by the end of the season.
little curious about you having Bennett so low….would maybe like to hear your thoughts..some think the TE position could be all his and that there may be some points there in that offense….injuries wiped out the other guys and Bennett has shown some flashes….I could see him creeping into top 20 as the summer moves along…right now I’d probbaly take a chance on him over someone like Kendricks or maybe even Dickson and Rudolph..
IMO I think you have Rudolph a little too high in that offense…there are a few guys you have behind him that I would feel more comfortable about at this points….and I know you hate Winslow, but he may be a little low….he has to catch a few more TD’s than he did last year and there should be alittle more space opening up for him with VJ and Williams taking some attention…
Bennett can’t catch. And when I mean he can’t catch I mean he can’t catch at all. You know I will never defend the Cowboys coaching staff but they did everything they could to get him involved in the offense and he simply dropped virtually every ball that came his way. Now he’s a great blocker but he’ll always tease you with his athleticism because he simply can’t catch. Yes, Winslow could be a little low but I see him transitioning to more of a blocker this year. He’s a very good run blocker as well. I really like Rudolph. The receivers on the Vikings are terrible and I believe Rudolph will have a big year. It’s funny because I think he may be ranked too low. That’s what makes fantasy football so great. We all have our own opinions. Just be careful with Bennett though. You know I would tell you if he got as raw deal in Dallas but they actually gave him a million chances to succeed and he just choked them away. I mean you can get him late so he’s worth a shot if you like him but in my opinion Bennett is one of the biggest busts the Cowboys drafted in recent years. He was supposed to become a great receiver and help stretch defenses. But like I said, you have to catch the ball first before you can do all that stuff. I could see him putting up numbers close to Jake Ballard but nothing more. If he can hang onto the ball he may catch a few touchdowns but he’s more valuable as a blocker than receiver. I just do see him being consistent enough to do much damage in PPR leagues. Thanks as always for your thoughts.
I talked about this guy in a post at the new WR rankings article - don’t you think Zach Miller SEA deserves a spot in the top 30? He’s only 27 and 1 season removed from 3 consecutive top 12 fantasy TE seasons. He’ll have a full off-season in the SEA offense and should be playing with the best QB he’s had to work with in his career. I don’t usually draft a back-up TE but for those of you in 2 TE or deep leagues, this is a forgotten guy who should really bounce back this season. I could see him being a hot waiver pick-up during the season.
He probably does deserve a spot. I had him a couple of years ago and he was really good. When you try and go over hundreds of players sometimes one or two slip through the cracks. I’ll look into him further for my next TE rankings. Thanks for pointing that out to me. I considered him but I should probably consider him a little more.