The Pigskin Guy

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Thanks to guys like Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham, every team in the NFL is trying to find athletic tight ends that can create mismatches for opposing defenses. That’s good news for fantasy owners, who have more talented options at the position to choose from 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. If that isn’t enough he has Tom Brady throwing to him for the next few years.

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. I expect 2012 to be Hernandez’s best season yet.

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. He’ll play a few more years on toughness alone though.

7. 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. Gresham could end up being a Top 5 fantasy tight end this season if things break his way. He has that kind of talent.

8. 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. I expect Davis to emerge as one of the top fantasy tight ends over the next couple of seasons.

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. Still, when he’s healthy Gates remains one of the top tight ends in the NFL.

10. 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. Look for the addition of Broyles and a healthy Jahvid Best (does such a thing exist?) to eat into Pettigrew’s targets.

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. 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. It’s now or never for the ultra talented Cook.

13. 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.

14. 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? The good news for Rudolph owners is Leslie Frazier will be fired at the end of the season, if not before. Look for Rudolph to emerge in 2012 and become one of the better fantasy tight ends over the next couple of seasons.

15. 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.

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. If Manning’s neck injury resurfaces, Tamme’s value will obviously take a huge hit.

17. 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.

18. Dwayne Allen, Colts
Allen was my top rated tight end heading into the draft. 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 by most places in dynasty league formats right now.

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. I see Daniels being similar to Heath Miller for the rest of his career.

20. 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. I still think he has a lot of talent and could be a very productive NFL tight end. Don’t give up on Kendricks quite yet.

21. 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. Dickson still offers more fantasy value right now, I would just be a little cautious about having high exceptions with him.

22. 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.

23. Adrien Robinson, Giants
The 6-4, 265 pound Robinson only caught 29 balls in his entire college career at Cincinnati. The reason Robinson is a diamond in the rough is because the Bearcats run a spread offense that doesn’t really utilize the tight end much. Robinson was often used as an in-line blocker. The Giants lost Jake Ballard to the Patriots and Martellus Bennett couldn’t catch a cold, so 2013 looks wide open for a talented young tight end to step in and earn a lot of playing time. I see Robinson being used more as a blocker in his rookie season so he can learn the offense and be brought along slowly. Then next year Robinson will have a shot to compete for a starting job, depending on how quickly he develops. Let’s be honest, there’s always room in the NFL for a 6-4 tight end that runs a 4.5 40. Robinson is a guy I will be targeting in my own dynasty league.

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. 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. He may not be a fantasy starter in 2012 but I like Stocker’s potential for down the road.

25. Rob Housler, Cardinals
Todd Heap’s career ended five years ago. They just haven’t discovered the body yet. I mean seriously, 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. I think he’s a nice wait and see guy in dynasty formats.

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