There's Gronk and then there's everyone else. The fantasy world has seen some dominant talent at the tight end position, but no one compares to Rob Gronkowski. I've seen him go as high as the second pick in some expert drafts this season and that's not even surprising. If you have the chance to grab him after the first round, don't even second-guess yourself. The Tom Brady mess and potential suspension shouldn't have any effect on the numbers that Gronk will put up.
The second and third tier contain value at the tight end position, but you're smart to wait until after you grab your running backs and wide receivers. Jimmy Graham may not have Drew Brees throwing him the ball, but it's not a complete loss having Russell Wilson as your quarterback. He'll be the main target in the Seattle Seahawks' passing game but may need some time to get acclimated to the offense. Travis Kelce is like Gronk Lite. If Kelce was part of the New England Patriots' offense, he would be the second tight end off the board. His upside is limited by the Kansas City Chiefs' offense, but I think he'll surpass his fantasy numbers from last season.
Greg Olsen is a mainstay in the Carolina Panthers' offense. Cam Newton loves his reliability and having Kelvin Benjamin taking some of the pressure off certainly helps reduce the double teams. You know what you're going to get with Olsen and you don't have to spend a high draft pick to get him. Martellus Bennett should have another great year, as long as Adam Gase uses him like he did Julius Thomas. Bennett doesn't have to carry the passing game with Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery and the addition of Kevin White.
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One last strategy is to stream your tight end position. This strategy opens up your roster to more receivers and running backs, while leaving the tight end position until right before defense and kicker. If you have the roster space, grab two tight ends late and then play the matchups. Also, you have the waiver wire to back you up. If the matchups are bad one week, grab a high-upside tight end off the wire. Jacob Tamme, Jared Cook and Eric Ebron should all be available late and would be perfect streaming targets to start the season.
(DK: Daniel Kelley; DC: Dan Ciarrocchi; AW: Alex Welch; JD: John Daigle; KA: Kenneth Arthur; SK: Scott Kaliska; MG: Michael Gallagher)
Rank | Consensus | Team | DK | DC | AW | JD | KA | SK | MG |
1 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2 | Jimmy Graham | SEA | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
3 | Travis Kelce | KAN | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
4 | Greg Olsen | CAR | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
5 | Martellus Bennett | CHI | 8 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 5 | 5 |
6 | Jason Witten | DAL | 6 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 8 |
7 | Jordan Cameron | MIA | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
8 | Zach Ertz | PHI | 17 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 6 |
9 | Delanie Walker | TEN | 5 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 12 |
10 | Julius Thomas | JAC | 11 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 |
11 | Owen Daniels | DEN | 7 | 13 | 18 | 11 | 20 | 15 | 15 |
12 | Larry Donnell | NYG | 12 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 11 |
13 | Coby Fleener | IND | 10 | 17 | 25 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 10 |
14 | Dwayne Allen | IND | 13 | 9 | 21 | 23 | 16 | 11 | 13 |
15 | Antonio Gates | SD | 14 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 19 |
16 | Josh Hill | NO | 15 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 9 | 13 | 20 |
17 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 14 |
18 | Tyler Eifert | CIN | 16 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 28 | 14 | 23 |
19 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | TAM | 29 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 32 | 18 | 17 |
20 | Vernon Davis | SF | 20 | 26 | 13 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 18 |
21 | Charles Clay | BUF | 18 | 21 | 20 | 30 | 17 | 23 | 21 |
22 | Jordan Reed | WAS | 22 | 18 | 27 | 21 | 25 | 22 | 16 |
23 | Eric Ebron | DET | 26 | 22 | 23 | 16 | 15 | 25 | 25 |
24 | Heath Miller | PIT | 25 | 24 | 15 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 26 |
25 | Ladarius Green | SD | 21 | 23 | 22 | 25 | 19 | 24 | 22 |
26 | Jared Cook | STL | 28 | -- | 26 | 14 | 24 | 31 | 24 |
28 | Maxx Williams | BAL | 24 | 25 | 32 | 31 | 27 | 26 | -- |
27 | Jace Amaro | NYJ | -- | 30 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
29 | Mychal Rivera | OAK | 30 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 26 | 28 | 29 |
30 | Jacob Tamme | ATL | 27 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 32 | -- |
31 | Virgil Green | DEN | -- | -- | -- | 32 | 22 | 30 | 27 |
32 | Rob Housler | ARI | -- | 27 | 31 | -- | -- | 27 | 31 |
-- | Scott Chandler | NE | 23 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 30 |
-- | Richard Rodgers | GB | -- | 31 | 29 | 26 | -- | -- | -- |
-- | Benjamin Watson | NO | 32 | -- | -- | 28 | 31 | -- | 32 |
-- | Luke Willson | SEA | 31 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |