2012 (Early) Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends (TEs)
|
Updated as of Thursday, May 24th
|
| |
|
|
Scoring: These rankings are based on standard scoring (one point per 10 rushing yards, six points per rushing
touchdown plus one point per ten receiving yards and six points per receiving touchdown) and are for redraft
leagues only.
For our PPR rankings, click here.
|
When you begin to discuss fantasy tight ends, the conversation has to start with a pair of tight ends from the 2010 draft class that had the two best years anyone has ever had at that position from a statistical standpoint.
In fact, only one wide receiver (Detroit's Calvin Johnson) did what they did last year. Megatron and the two tight ends all finished with 90-plus receptions, 1,300-plus yards and 10-plus touchdowns.
Of course, the two tight ends to which I'm referring are New England's Rob Gronkowski and New Orleans' Jimmy Graham.
While those two tight ends are 1-2 in my rankings, the position is as deep as ever.
Here are our 2012 fantasy football tight end rankings (using standard scoring -- i.e., not PPR scoring):
1. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
A mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses, Gronkowski set single-season records for a tight end with 1,327 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns on his 90 receptions. In 36 career games counting the playoffs, Gronkowski has a total of 30 receiving touchdowns and one "rushing" touchdown.
2. Jimmy Graham, Saints
Graham had slightly fewer yards (1,310) and less touchdowns (10) than Gronkowski, but he had more receptions (99). No tight end was targeted more than Graham (149) and only five receivers had more targets. Based on the average fantasy points allowed to tight ends last year of all Saints' opponents in 2012, Graham and the Saints' tight ends have one of the top three most favorable schedules.
3. Aaron Hernandez, Patriots
Hernandez missed two games yet he still finished with 79 receptions for 910 yards and seven touchdowns. Based on his production of 65 yards per game, Hernandez would have likely given the Pats two 1,000-yard tight ends if he had played all 16 games. In addition, Hernandez was used as a rusher more frequently down the stretch. Especially if opposing defenses focus on slowing down Gronkowski, Hernandez could be poised for a monster season.
4. Jason Witten, Cowboys
Witten set five-year lows in both receptions (79) and yards (942), which is partly due to the production of the Cowboys top three receivers: Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson, but Robinson signed with the Jaguars this offseason. Over those five seasons, Witten has three of the ten 1,000-yard seasons achieved by tight ends.
5. Vernon Davis, 49ers
Davis posted three-year lows of 792 yards and six touchdowns last year. That said, Davis is a freakish athlete that was nearly unstoppable in the postseason. In two playoff games, Davis had 10 receptions for 292 yards and four touchdowns.
6. Antonio Gates, Chargers
After missing a few games early in the season due to his foot, Gates had 56 receptions for 704 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games. Although coach Norv Turner says Gates is "back" to his pre-injury form, there is still some reason to worry that the injury will flare up and I view the top five options to be safer bets.
7. Jermichael Finley, Packers
Capable of being a top-five tight end, Finley frustrates fantasy owners with his inconsistency. Finley, who re-signed with the Packers for two years this offseason, had three fantasy points or less in five games this season. Although he set a career high in touchdowns (eight), he had his lowest yards-per-game average (47.9) since his rookie season.
8. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons
Gonzalez, who has 1,149 career receptions for 13,338 yards, has decided to play another season, which makes sense considering how productive he was in 2011. Gonzalez finished last season with 80 receptions for 875 yards and seven touchdowns, all of which were three-year highs.
9. Jermaine Gresham, Bengals
Gresham, the Bengals' first-round pick in 2010, posted slightly better numbers in his second season (56 receptions for 596 yards and six touchdowns, all career highs) than he did in his rookie campaign. That said, he is one of the tight ends that I am targeting later in drafts and think he could be poised for a breakout season.
10. Fred Davis, Redskins
Despite missing the final four games of the season due to league suspension, Davis totaled 59 receptions for 796 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games last year. While RG3 did not target his tight ends much in college and the 'Skins added some receivers in free agency, Davis is still a low-end TE1.
11. Brandon Pettigrew, Lions
Pettigrew, the team's second of two first-round picks in 2009, finished with career highs across the board: 83 receptions, 777 yards and five touchdowns. Among tight ends, only Graham was targeted more than Pettigrew (126).
12. Brent Celek, Eagles
Celek got off to a slow start after a down season in 2010 but came on strong. In his first six games before the bye, Celek had only 13 receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown. In 10 games after the bye, Celek had 49 receptions for 696 yards and four touchdowns. In his final three games, he did even better: 13 receptions for 290 yards and scored a touchdown in each game.
13. Jacob Tamme, Broncos
During a 10-game stretch in 2010, Tamme and Peyton Manning had instant chemistry following a Dallas Clark injury. Over the course of those 10 games, Tamme had 67 receptions for 631 yards and four touchdowns. If he and Manning connect anywhere close to how often they did in 2010, Tamme will be a draft-day steal.
14. Coby Fleener, Colts
Despite slipping to the second round of the 2012 NFL draft, Fleener landed in a near-perfect situation being reunited with Andrew Luck, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Fleener has the size, speed and athleticism to create mismatches and will have instant chemistry with Luck as his security blanket.
15. Owen Daniels, Texans
Daniels started last season strong with 21 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns in the first five games of the season. Over the remaining 10 games he played, Daniels had only only 33 receptions for 406 yards and no touchdowns. With Joel Dreessen now in Denver, perhaps Daniels will see more red-zone targets.
16. Dustin Keller, Jets
Solid but inconsistent, Keller finished with 65 receptions for 815 yards and five touchdowns. In the first three weeks last season, he had 16 receptions for 249 yards and two touchdowns. In Weeks 2 to 4 in 2010, Keller had 17 receptions for 241 yards and five touchdowns. Stated another way: Keller had 490 yards and seven TDs in those six games and only 1,012 yards and three TDs in the other 26 games over the past two years.
17. Jared Cook, Titans
Cook has a ton of upside and positive momentum heading into 2012. In his final three games, Cook finished with 21 receptions for 335 yards and a touchdown. (That said, Cook had a strong finish to the 2010 season, but he got off to a slow start in 2011.)
18. Greg Olsen, Panthers
Olsen had a solid season (45-540-5), but he fizzled down the stretch. In the final seven games of the season, Olsen had only one game with more than two fantasy points and totalled 11 receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown during that span.
19. Kyle Rudolph, Vikings
With the Vikings signing John Carlson to a big contract (five years, $25 million) this offseason, Rudolph won't have a chance to break out like I think he could. That said, I expect him to be a much better fantasy option than Carlson.
20. Martellus Bennett, Giants
With the team suffering injuries to both Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum, Bennett steps into a situation where he should have the opportunity to display his abilities in an effort to secure his next contract. That said, Bennett, who signed a one-year deal with the Giants, has failed to live up to his potential in Dallas.
21. Heath Miller, Steelers
Miller had 51 receptions for 631 yards, both the second highest totals of his career, but he only had two touchdowns, which ties his career low.
22. Ed Dickson, Ravens
Last year, Dickson and teammate Dennis Pitta combined for one solid season: 94 receptions for 933 yards and eight touchdowns. Unfortunately, you can't draft them as a pair.
23. Kellen Winslow, Seahawks
The Bucs traded Winslow to the Seahawks for a seventh-round pick. While Winslow has averaged 73 receptions for 792 yards and four touchdowns in his three seasons in Tampa, new teammate Zach Miller saw his production drop to 25 receptions for 233 yards and no touchdowns, all of which are career lows, in his first season with the Seahawks. Will Winslow suffer a similar fate?
24. Dallas Clark, Bucs
Not only did they trade Winslow, the Bucs signed free-agent tight end Clark. Without Peyton Manning, Clark struggled last year -- 34 receptions for 352 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games -- and is clearly on the decline.
25. Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars
After a breakout season with 58 receptions for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns, Lewis saw his production drop to 39 receptions for 460 yards and no touchdowns. Expect somewhere in between those numbers for Lewis in 2012.
More 2012 Rankings: QBs - RBs - WRs
To keep track of our updates, follow @EDSFootball on Twitter and/or "like" us on Facebook.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
