Three guys. That's the list. There are only three tight ends from our preseason consensus top 10 whom, had you drafted them, you're happy today.
If you're a Julius Thomas owner, you've spent most of your days doing happy dances on the sidewalk, and heck, you probably aren't even reading this column. (Number of leagues in which I have Julius Thomas: 0.) If you're a Rob Gronkowski or Greg Olsen owner, maybe you aren't skipping to the music in your head, but you're perfectly satisfied.
And that's the list. Jimmy Graham had one great game, one good one, some mediocrity and now an injury. Vernon Davis, Jordan Cameron and Jordan Reed have had injuries. Dennis Pitta is done for the year; Kyle Rudolph is done for a while. And Jason Witten is just not doing much.
That's not to say there haven't been good tight ends. Martellus Bennett, 11th in our preseason ranks, has been strong. So have Antonio Gates (15th), Delanie Walker (17th), Dwayne Allen (22nd) and Travis Kelce (24th). But there is less alignment between preseason supposition and current 2014 value at tight end than there is at any position.
It can mean one of two things: If you drafted one of the successful guys or stumbled into a Walker/Kelce type, you hold on to that starter with all your might. If you didn't, tight end becomes just another defense for you, and you stream.
Problem is, streaming tight ends is really hard. You can scheme to stop a tight end, or a fluke play can change things. You're playing bets and hunches. But as bad as things have gotten, you might be stuck. Just try as best you can.
Which brings us to this week's rankings. Tampa Bay and Philadelphia are on bye this week, leaving you down the options of Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Zach Ertz. Have fun:
Tight end rankings, Week 7
(DK: Daniel Kelley; DC: Dan Ciarrocchi; JD: John Daigle; SK: Scott Kaliska)
| Rank | Consensus | Team | Opponent | DK | DC | JD | SK |
| 1 | Julius Thomas | DEN | SF | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | NYJ | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | Greg Olsen | CAR | @GB | 3 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Jordan Cameron | CLE | @JAC | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | Martellus Bennett | CHI | MIA | 5 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| 6 | Delanie Walker | TEN | @WAS | 7 | 8 | 5 | 8 |
| 7 | Jordan Reed | WAS | TEN | 9 | 4 | 9 | 7 |
| 8 | Travis Kelce | KAN | @SD | 6 | 7 | 10 | 9 |
| 9 | Larry Donnell | NYG | @DAL | 10 | 11 | 6 | 10 |
| 10 | Dwayne Allen | IND | CIN | 8 | 9 | 8 | 12 |
| 11 | Antonio Gates | SD | KAN | 13 | 10 | 13 | 6 |
| 12 | Vernon Davis | SF | @DEN | 12 | 12 | 17 | 11 |
| 13 | Jason Witten | DAL | NYG | 11 | 13 | 23 | 13 |
| 14 | Jared Cook | STL | SEA | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 |
| 15 | Jace Amaro | NYJ | @NE | 21 | 15 | 12 | 17 |
| 16 | Owen Daniels | BAL | ATL | 16 | 17 | 18 | 14 |
| 17 | Josh Hill | NO | @DET | 14 | 24 | 11 | 20 |
| 18 | Heath Miller | PIT | HOU | -- | 14 | 20 | 16 |
| 19 | Jermaine Gresham | CIN | @IND | 22 | 18 | 14 | 24 |
| 20 | Clay Harbor | JAC | CLE | 20 | -- | 16 | 19 |
| 21 | Scott Chandler | BUF | MIN | 17 | 21 | 19 | -- |
| 22 | Ladarius Green | SD | KAN | 23 | 22 | 24 | 18 |
| 23 | Tim Wright | NE | NYJ | 18 | 25 | -- | 21 |
| 24 | Coby Fleener | IND | CIN | 19 | 23 | -- | 22 |
| 25 | Eric Ebron | DET | NO | 24 | 19 | 22 | 25 |
| -- | Andrew Quarless | GB | CAR | -- | 20 | 21 | -- |
| -- | Charles Clay | MIA | @CHI | -- | -- | -- | 23 |
| -- | Anthony Fasano | KAN | @SD | 25 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Levine Toilolo | ATL | @BAL | -- | -- | 25 | -- |