There weren’t a ton of surprising performances for tight ends in Week 6. Rob Gronkowski set a personal record, we had outlier performances from Levine Toilolo and C.J. Fiedorowicz that can be forgotten, and Jack Doyle provided the nail in the coffin to Dwayne Allen’s fantasy relevance.
Week 7 should give us a better understanding of the Chargers’ tight end hierarchy. Is Hunter Henry the true No. 1 or is Antonio Gates still working his way back from injury? San Diego plays the Falcons, who have given up the third-most fantasy points to tight ends this week. It’s an excellent matchup for both, but this is the first week where I’m ranking Henry above Gates when both are likely active.
Those looking for bye week replacements for Greg Olsen and Jason Witten have several games to target. You aren’t likely to find options as reliable on waivers, but the cupboard isn’t bare.
Some dude named Vernon Davis caught a touchdown for Washington while Jordan Reed was recovering from a concussion. If Reed can’t go again this week, then Davis is an interesting play against the friendly Detroit Lions defense.
Here are a few tight ends to consider and our Week 7 rankings:
Gary Barnidge – He isn’t setting the league on fire the way he did in 2015, but he has been serviceable. Averaging about seven targets the last three weeks, Barnidge may be finally getting on the same page as Cody Kessler. The Bengals aren’t great at covering tight ends and if Vontaze Burfict is suspended then this shapes up as a great spot for Barnidge.
Cameron Brate – The last time I featured Brate he rewarded me with a one-reception game. Thanks Cam! Despite this betrayal, I will be recommending him again this week as the Bucs take on the crumbling San Francisco 49ers defense. The 49ers play better defense at home, but Brate should be able to beat their linebackers. Of course, Brate’s usage is concerning because you can run all over San Francisco, but I like his chances to finish near the top 10 at his position.
Charles Clay – He hasn’t had more than five receptions in any game, but at least he is consistently involved. The Dolphins aren’t exactly the Vikings on defense and Clay did record seven receptions for 82 yards receiving and one touchdown against Fins last year.
Tight Ends, Week 7
(ZS: Zach Senvisky, JM: Jason Marcum, SK: Scott Kaliska, JG: Jeff Goldberg, KB: Kyle Bennett, DG: Derek Gordon)
| Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp. | ZS | JM | SK | JG | KB | DG |
| 1 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | @ PIT | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Travis Kelce | KC | vs. NO | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | Delanie Walker | TEN | vs. IND | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Jimmy Graham | SEA | @ ARI | 5 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 5 | Jordan Reed | WAS | @ DET | 6 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| 6 | Hunter Henry | SD | @ ATL | 3 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 12 |
| 7 | Coby Fleener | NO | @ KC | 10 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | Zach Miller | CHI | @ GB | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 9 | Martellus Bennett | NE | @ PIT | 4 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 10 | Zach Ertz | PHI | vs. MIN | 11 | 5 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 5 |
| 11 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | @ PHI | 9 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| 12 | Dennis Pitta | BAL | @ NYJ | 16 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 6 |
| 13 | Julius Thomas | JAC | vs. OAK | 12 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| 14 | Gary Barnidge | CLE | @ CIN | 14 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 15 |
| 15 | Eric Ebron | DET | vs. WAS | 13 | 13 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 13 |
| 16 | Antonio Gates | SD | @ ATL | 20 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 16 |
| 17 | Charles Clay | BUF | @ MIA | 17 | 23 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 24 |
| 18 | Cameron Brate | TB | @ SF | 22 | 20 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 20 |
| 19 | Jacob Tamme | ATL | vs. SD | 15 | 17 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 17 |
| 20 | Jesse James | PIT | vs. NE | 19 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 19 |
| 21 | Jack Doyle | IND | @ TEN | 18 | -- | 17 | 16 | 17 | -- |
| 22 | Dwayne Allen | IND | @ TEN | -- | 18 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 18 |
| 23 | Tyler Eifert | CIN | vs. CLE | 25 | -- | 20 | 22 | 22 | -- |
| 24 | Clive Walford | OAK | @ JAC | 21 | 22 | -- | -- | -- | 22 |
| 25 | Vernon Davis | WAS | @ DET | 24 | 24 | 19 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Lance Kendricks | LA | vs. NYG | -- | 21 | -- | -- | -- | 21 |
| -- | C.J. Fiedorowicz | HOU | @ DEN | 23 | -- | 22 | 24 | 25 | -- |
| -- | Richard Rodgers | GB | vs. CHI | -- | -- | -- | 25 | 24 | 25 |
| -- | Virgil Green | DEN | vs. HOU | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 23 |
| -- | Crockett Gillmore | BAL | @ NYJ | -- | 25 | -- | -- | -- | -- |