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Tight ends are a vital part of any team’s offense. They are big targets in the passing game and they do a lot of blocking to make lanes in the running game. Here are my top 12 for fantasy purposes this season.
#12 Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings – 2017 total = 129.7
Rudolph has had a career resurgence of sorts, this past couple of seasons. He has caught 15 touchdowns and gained 1372 yards over that time period.
This year throws up a few changes in the Minnesota offense, with Kirk Cousins coming in at QB, and John DeFilippo coming in as Offensive Coordinator to replace the NY bound Pat Shurmur.
Shurmur managed to create a gameplan that suited Rudolph’s strengths, and I can see DeFilippo utilizing him the same way. The former Eagles QB coach really enhanced Carson Wentz’s play, who used his TE1 Zach Ertz, to great effect.
Cousins history with Tight Ends is promising for Rudolph. Over the past 3 seasons, Cousins has been highly efficient when playing in two TE sets.
Jordan Reed (when healthy) and Vernon Davis have both been able to put up good numbers with him under center. I can see Cousins leaning on Rudolph heavily to move the chains.
#11 Tyler Eifert – Cincinnati Bengals – 2017 total = 6.6
Eifert is one of the most dangerous TE’s in the league when he’s healthy. The problem is, he never seems to be free of injury.
Last year, a back injury restricted Eifert to just 2 games and 4 catches. However, this offseason, he is injury free and ready to replicate his form from the 2015 season, where he scored 13 touchdowns in 13 games.
Last year was a car crash on offense for the Bengals, and getting Eifert back should really help them, especially in the RedZone.
They have improved their Offensive Line and get John Ross back from injury. Be warned, Eifert isn’t the most reliable fantasy scorer, but his ceiling is very high.
#10 Hunter Henry – Los Angeles Chargers – 2017 total = 104.4
2018 is going to be an important year for Henry. It’s his time to step out of Antonio Gates’s shadow, with the veteran being released this offseason.
The former second-round pick out of Arkansas, is great in the passing game, with slick routes and sticky hands. Henry finished last year by taking over the starting TE spot from Gates and finishing with 45 catches, 579 yards, and 4 touchdowns.
At times last season, Henry frustrated fantasy owners with big scores followed by poor performances, including a couple of games with zero receptions.
There is no doubt that the offense performs better when Henry is targeted more often. The Chargers went 7-1 when Henry was targeted more than 4 times.
Phillip Rivers has a lot of mouths to feed in the Chargers offense with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Melvin Gordon and Henry all hungry for increased roles.
#9 Jordan Reed – Washington Redskins – 2017 total = 46.6
The 2017 season was filled with frustration for the injury-prone Reed. The 27-year-old TE only managed to get on the field for 6 games, with a hamstring problem hampering him all year.
When he is healthy, he has shown that he can be one of the premiere Tight Ends in the league.
Take the 2015 season for example. Reed finished with 87 receptions for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns, delighting his fantasy owners with big performances week after week.
This year will see Reed play with a different Quarterback, Alex Smith. I fully expect Smith to utilize him the same way that Kirk Cousins did in Washington.
Smith has a history of peppering his TE with passes, with Travis Kelce being the beneficiary the past few seasons in Kansas City.
If Reed can stay healthy and put up displays similar to those of Kelce, then he will be a big-time fantasy player this year.
#8 Trey Burton – Chicago Bears – 2017 total = 68.3
Burton was one of the most sought after Free Agents this offseason when his contract with the Philadelphia Eagles expired.
He was the TE2 in Philly last year behind Zach Ertz, but when the latter went down with injury, Burton showed he could step up and produce for his team by scoring 5 touchdowns from just 23 receptions.
The 6’3, 26-year-old out of Florida, was snapped up by the Bears, where he will immediately go in as the TE1 in a promising offense.
Second-year QB Mitchell Trubisky has more weapons at his disposal, with the signings of Burton, Taylor Gabriel and Allen Robinson and the team drafting Anthony Miller in the 2nd round.
Burton will greatly benefit from the Bears hiring Matt Nagy from the Kansas City Chiefs. Nagy, who was the OC in Kansas City, heavily relied on their tight ends to produce and put up big numbers. This is why I have Burton ranked so highly.
#7 Delanie Walker – Tennessee Titans – 2017 total = 137.5
Walker is entering his 13th season in the NFL and his 6th in Tennessee. He has been Marcus Mariota’s favourite and most dependable weapon in the passing game, catching no fewer than 65 passes since the QB’s rookie year.
The 33-year-old caught 74 passes last season which came in at joint 3rd among Tight Ends. However, his touchdown total regressed last season, catching just 3 compared to 7 and 6 in the previous seasons.
I expect another solid year from Walker, however, I also expect sophomore TE, Jonnu Smith to have a larger role in the offense, potentially taking snaps, catches, and touchdowns away from the veteran.
#6 Greg Olsen – Carolina Panthers – 2017 total = 33.6
2017 was a lost season for Greg Olsen. He suffered a broken foot in the week 2 match up with the Buffalo Bills and never really made it back.
This offseason, Olsen flirted with the idea of retirement and taking a job on commentary. However, in a U-turn, Olsen committed to a 2-year extension with the Carolina Panthers and will again, be Cam Newtons number one weapon on offense.
Olsen has shown he can put up big numbers when healthy. He is usually a lock for 75 receptions, and at least 5 touchdowns in an offense that has struggled with productivity from the Wide Receiver position. I expect Olsen to have another good year, as long as he is 100% over the foot injury.
#5 Jimmy Graham – Green Bay Packers – 2017 total = 142.5
Graham had a bit of a down year in 2017, for the Seahawks. He only recorded 57 catches for a career-low 520 yards.
However, he saved fantasy owners by recording 10 touchdowns, the most last season by a Tight End.
Graham has definitely lost a step or two and isn’t the dynamic option in the passing game that he was in New Orleans. That’s didn’t stop the Green Bay Packers paying big money for him this offseason.
Aaron Rodgers is desperate for a reliable tight end and the Green Bay hierarchy clearly believe Graham still has enough to offer by giving him a 3 year, $30 million deal.
If Graham had gone elsewhere then I would have him much lower down in my rankings. But pairing him with Rodgers means there will be a lot catches up for grabs, especially since the Packers lost Jordy Nelson in Free Agency.
I see him getting double-digit touchdowns, with at least a 25% increase in receiving yards.
#4 Evan Engram – New York Giants – 2017 total = 141.6
Evan Engram had a great rookie year in the NFL. He became the number one option for Eli Manning in the passing game after Odell Beckham Jr went down with an injury.
Engram is just the second Tight End in history to receive over 100 targets in his first season. He has big playmaking ability for a Tight End and can stretch the field with his impressive athleticism.
Despite a good season last year, I’d like to see Engram improve on his catch percentage. He only caught 64 of his 115 targets, resulting in a poor 55% catch rate.
I expect him to be an important piece of the rejuvenated Giants offense. He may not see as many targets with Beckham being back, but he will look to build on a promising start to his NFL career.
#3 Zach Ertz – Philadelphia Eagles – 2017 total = 165.4
Zach Ertz had a superb 2017, catching 74 for passes and getting in the end zone 8 times. He was 3rd in the league among Tight Ends with 824 receiving yards, and that was also a team high amongst all receivers.
He showed good rapport with Carson Wentz and was often his first read on red zone plays. Ertz also caught the go-ahead touchdown in Superbowl 52, catching a 7-yard pass from backup QB Nick Foles.
The Eagles drafted Tight End Dallas Goedert in the second round of this year’s draft. Goedert was thought by many to be the best Tight End in this year’s draft class.
That being said, I don’t think he will eat into Ertz’s targets too much. Trey Burton was the backup TE last year in Philly, and he barely saw any targets until Ertz went down with an injury.
Ertz is locked in as a TE1 this season and it wouldn’t surprise me if he improves on last year’s totals.
#2 Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs – 2017 total = 192
Kelce could easily be number 1 on this list this season as he receives so much volume in the Kansas City passing game.
He caught 83 passes, which was the most out of all TEs, and also caught 8 touchdowns in the process. His 1038 receiving yards were second on the team, only behind speedster Tyreek Hill.
This season, however, there are a few changes for the Chiefs on offense. Sophomore QB Pat Mahomes will be taking over under center.
Mahomes has a cannon of an arm and great things are expected from him. We will have to wait and see if he can strike up the same relationship with Kelce as he had with his predecessor, Alex Smith.
Another change is a Running Back coach, Eric Bieniemy, being promoted to the Offensive Coordinator role, filling in for the departed Matt Nagy.
Will this mean the Chiefs turn to a more run-heavy attack to help settle in their young QB? It’s a possibility, but Head Coach Andy Reid has never favored a run-first approach in all his years in coaching, so I think Kelce’s volume is safe.
Expect to see him being taken as high as the 3rd round in some 12 team fantasy drafts.
#1 Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots – 2017 total = 192.9
Gronk is an absolute machine. He’s a matchup nightmare that’s too quick for linebackers to cover, and too big for smaller defensive backs to handle.
His 8th season in New England yielded 69 catches, for 1084 yards and 8 touchdowns in 14 games. He is the most valuable Tight End in the league and has consistently topped the TE charts when he’s stayed healthy.
He will once again be Tom Brady’s go-to option in the passing game, especially to move the chains.
This offseason there were rumors that Gronk was considering retirement, to pursue a career in acting or the WWE.
Unfortunately for Defences around the league, this did end up being just a rumor as Gronk committed himself to the Patriots for the 2018 season.
If he plays 14-16 games, he will be the TE1 on the year. Be prepared to spend an early round draft pick if you want him on your team.
