Re-ranking Rest of Season TEs
- Rob Gronkowski – NE – Wanna hear something crazy? Gronk is on pace for 1642 yards and 21 TDs. Wanna hear something crazier? He might actually reach those numbers.
- Travis Kelce – KC – Travis Kelce is the perfect weapon for Alex Smith. He catches everything thrown his way (78% career catch rate), and grades out very well as a blocker. Last year, he was held back by Anthony Fasano, and was only on the field 66% of plays. He averaged 4.2 receptions and 54 yards per game in 2014. This year, he has been on the field for 90%, and has averaged 5.3 receptions and 73 yards per game. That is exactly the type of numbers we should have expected, knowing he’d be on the field more often.
- Greg Olsen – CAR – As Cam’s only reliable weapon, Olsen has average 8.5 targets a game. Based on volume, he should put up similar numbers to last season (1000 yards, 6 TDs).
- Jimmy Graham – SEA – Graham has had two really good games, and two awful ones. While I still think he will be a TD monster, his numbers will be fairly inconsistent.
- Martellus Bennett – CHI – Bennett’s numbers have been up and down this year, but after a great game against Oakland, he hold’s a pretty respectable stat line (200 yards, 2 TDs). With Jeffery’s health still in question, Bennett should benefit from a lot of targets from ‘ol Jay Cutty.
- Jason Witten – DAL – Brandon Weeden apparently likes him some Jason Witten, throwing to him 14 times in Weeks 3 and 4. With Dez out, Witten should continue dominating targets in Dallas.
- Antonio Gates – SD – Gates was the #2 TE last season, and is returning this week. If he’s still available in your league (87% owned), go out and grab him before it’s too late.
- Tyler Eifert – CIN – After Eifert put up a donut in Week 3, he was back in the mix with 69 yards and 3 catches in Week 4. Eifert is supremely talented, and I think he can still be had for a decent bargain if you need a TE. If you want to buy low on him, now’s your chance.
- Delanie Walker – TEN – Walker has always been a good, not great TE option. In two games (he missed Week 2 with an injury, Week 4 bye), he has 10 catches for 111 yards and a TD. He doesn’t have a terribly high ceiling, but his floor is decent enough to keep him in the top 10.
- Charles Clay – BUF – Clay has put up great numbers through four games, and in a great offense, there’s a chance he keeps it up.
- Larry Donnell – NYG – With the Giants other TE Daniel Fells out for the season, Donnell should produce based on volume alone.
- Jordan Reed – WAS – Through Week 3, he ranked 3rd in targets (26), 2nd in receptions (19) and 3rd in yards (241). Then the inevitable happened, as he was concussed and sprained his knee. His status for this week is up in the air, but it appears he will miss a couple weeks. So long as he is on the field, Reed is a low end TE1, but it’s uncertain how many more injuries he can sustain.
- Jordan Cameron – MIA – I hate Jordan Cameron. I’ve always hated Jordan Cameron, and it’s 100% related to his injury past. It seems every week he’s dealing with a concussion. He’s fine on a week to week basis as he’s actually fairly talented, but I generally refuse to deal with him on my roster.
- Julius Thomas – JAC – Julius should be back by Week 5 or 6, and if he can click with Blake Bortles, he’s got a chance to be a solid TE1.
- Gary Barnidge – CLE – Barnidge came on strong in Weeks 3 and 4, amassing 180 yards and 2 TDs over two games. There’s a chance he falls back to irrelevance, but it’s more likely he finds a permanent role as he continues to get targets with McCown at QB.
- Owen Daniels – DEN – Daniels only has 61 yards on the season, but has scored 2 TDs. If he can become the clear TE option over Virgil Green and bring up his targets, he’s got a decent shot to become a TE1.
- Zach Ertz – PHI – Ertz is one of the more frustrating players in fantasy, as he never seems to live up to his potential. In four games, he only has 10 catches for 104 yards and 0 TDs. He’s still worth a stash in deeper leagues, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable starting him in any situation.
- Austin Seferian-Jenkins – TB – He put up 110 yards and 2 TDs in Week 1, but strained his shoulder in Week 2. It appears he will miss at least another month, and until then I wouldn’t bother wasting the roster spot.
- Kyle Rudolph – MIN – Rudolph will always have huge potential as long as he’s on the field. Living up to that potential has been an issue, as he’s dealt with injuries the last couple seasons after putting up 9 TDs in 2012. In 2015, he simply hasn’t been as involved as he needs to be to put up solid numbers. His target numbers are decent (5.5/game), but has only been targeted on shorter routes, averaging just over 7 yards per catch.
- Eric Ebron – DET – Ebron was hugely disappointing in 2014 after being drafted in the first round of the NFL draft, as he only amassed 248 yards and 1 TD all season. This year, he’s already got 2 TDs and 179 yards, but suffered a knee injury putting him out for at least a week or two. Consider him droppable in shallow leagues until he returns.
