HOLD ON TIGHT
Gronkowski or Kelce? We look at the tight ends that will give you the most for your fantasy buck
Thanks to the number of injuries he has suffered in the past few years, the gap between Gronk and the rest of the TEs has closed significantly. You could even argue that Travis Kelce might be the best option out there.
1 Rob Gronkowski, NE
540 receiving yards, 3 TDs, 72 points He has missed 18 games in the past seven years, but still leads the league in receiving TDs over that time. Also led TEs in points per game last year.
2 Travis Kelce, KC
1125 receiving yards, 4 TDs, 138 points The TDs aren’t quite there, but he led the position in receptions, yards and fantasy points last year.
3 Greg Olsen, CAR
1073 receiving yards, 3 TDs, 127.3 points Has three straight 1,000-yard seasons and led the Panthers in targets the past two.
4 Jimmy Graham, SEA
923 receiving yards, 6 TDs, 124.3 points Hasn’t reached the heights he did with the Saints, but bounced back from an injury-marred 2015.
5 Tyler Eifert, CIN
394 receiving yards, 5 TDs, 69.4 points He is a red-zone monster, scoring 18 TDs in 21 games over the past two seasons. He’s finally healthy, too.
6 Jordan Reed, WAS
686 receiving yards, 6 TDs, 102.6 points Let’s start with the bad news: Reed has never played more than 14 games in a season, was already on the PUP list this pre-season due to a toe injury and has a history of concussions. As for the good, well, he’s really good when he’s on the field. He was third in fantasy PPG last year and will be a featured part of Washington’s offence again. If you draft him, you might want a sturdy backup, too.
7 Delanie Walker, TEN
800 receiving yards, 7 TDs, 123.1 points Saw his numbers tumble from his 1,000-yard 2015 season, but also scored a career-high seven TDs.
8 Kyle Rudolph, MIN
840 receiving yards, 7 TDs, 126 points Had the most targets by a TE last season, which makes sense considering Minnesota’s short-passing game.
9 Martellus Bennett, GB
701 receiving yards, 7 TDs, 113.1 points In some people’s eyes, he disappointed last season, but was still the No. 7 TE. Going from Brady to Rodgers is no downgrade, either.
10 Zach Ertz, PHA
816 receiving yards, 4 TDs, 105.6 points Has done well racking up yards and receptions the past two years, but has just 13 TDs in four seasons.
11 Hunter Henry, LAC
478 receiving yards, 8 TDs, 93.8 points Tied for the league lead in TE TDs, overshadowing legendary teammate Antonio Gates.
12 Eric Ebron, DET
711 receiving yards, 1 TD, 83.2 points Former first-round pick had career highs in receptions, targets and yards, but just one score.
13 Julius Thomas, MIA
281 receiving yards, 4 TDs, 52.1 points His numbers won’t return to the ones he racked up in Denver, but could improve moving from Jacksonville to Miami.
14 Antonio Gates, LAC
548 receiving yards, 7 TDs, 94.8 points The 37-year-old has been regressing, but is still more than capable of scoring some TDs.
15 C.J. Fiedorowicz, HOU
559 receiving yards, 4 TDs, 79.9 points Had minimal playing time until Week 4, after which he averaged 6.6 points per game.
16 Coby Fleener, NO
631 receiving yards, 3 TDs, 87.3 points Didn’t live up to lofty expectations last season in his first campaign with Drew
Brees and the Saints.
17 Cameron Brate, TB
660 receiving yards, 8 TDs, 114 points The co-leader in TDs for a tight end, reports are that he may remain the starter over Howard to begin the season.
18 Jack Doyle, IND
584 receiving yards, 5 TDs, 86.4 points Emerged as the Colts’ top TE last season and had the second most yards on the team.
19 Jason Witten, DAL
673 receiving yards, 3 TDs, 83.3 points His numbers have been in a steady decline, but he hasn’t missed a game since 2003.
20 Austin Hooper, ATL
271 receiving yards, 3 TDs, 45.1 points He’s the top TE on a highscoring team and he worked on building chemistry with QB Ryan in the off-season.
21 Zach Miller, CHI
486 receiving yards, 4 TDs, 72.6 points Had career-highs in receptions, targets and yardage despite playing just 10 games.
22 Charles Clay, BUF
552 receiving yards, 4 TDs, 79.2 points He’s still nursing a knee injury from last year, but he only missed one game then and should be in for a nice workload.
23 Jared Cook, OAK
377 receiving yards, 1 TD, 41.7 points Had some heroics with the Packers, but his numbers leave a lot to be desired for a guy this talented.
24 Jesse James, PGH
338 receiving yards, 3 TDs, 51.8 points Has reportedly secured the starting role, but we worry about how many targets he’ll get with the surrounding talent.
25 O.J. Howard, TB
2017 rookie Many are buying into the hype of the first-rounder, but reports are that he’ll
mainly be a blocker early on.