By: Kevin Basta #BDBN
Let’s face it, finding a tight end this year is going to be as difficult as going one round with Rowdy Ronda Rousey. Unless you have what I perceive to be one of the top 4 tight ends, then you will be bargain shopping, taking gambles you hope pan out. This may be a true season of streaming tight ends. Here are some tiers of ranking I’ve assembled to try to sort this mess out.
Studs
· Rob Gronkowski
· Jimmy Graham
· Travis Kelce
· Greg Olson
Let’s face it, these guys are elite. Gronk is as good as a WR1-2 and he outscored the number 2 TE last year (Graham) by 38 points. He only had 2 weeks last season outside of the top 10 TE’s in scoring. I know some people hate Kelce and don’t buy the hype. Well I do, he’s coming into this season as the number one TE in KC where he led all TEs in yards per reception last year. Olson is the epitome of Mr. Consistency.
Dark Horse
· Julius Thomas
· Marcellus Bennett
· Jordan Cameron
· Delanie Walker
· Jason Witten
Thomas does not have Peyton Manning throwing to him anymore. Bortles to Manning is a significant downgrade but I don’t think JAX brought him in with that deal to be a log. Thomas could suffer if Bortles reverts to last year once again but I think he is a threat to retain come production if they can gel together. Bennett has yet to put together a complete season. He starts off hot and can become too touchdown dependent, but can’t be overlooked. Cameron gets out of the mess in CLE, can he stay healthy and flash his old self? Wittenmay see an uptick in targets with Murray gone. Coming off one of his down years there is nowhere to go but up.
Sleepers
· Owen Daniels
· Kyle Rudolph
· Larry Donnell
· Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Daniels has a sub-par year with Flacco but he can’t be overlooked. No one took Julius Thomas seriously, look how that panned out. Rudolph is he can avoid the injury bug has potential, question is how much? Donnell is in a high powered offense, can’t ignore the fact he finished in the top 10 TEs in receptions, TDs, and targets. Seferian-Jenkinsmaking noise out in TB. Has upside and support from Lovie Smith.
Fliers
· Jordan Reed
· Eric Ebron
· Vernon Davis
· Tyler Eifert
Reed every year shows flashes of promise, only to get injured consistently. Upside is there, but this could be his last chance. Ebron was drafted high for a reason. If he can limit his drops and find himself open he can do damage in a high-powered passing attack. Davis has fallen low, but could be on the rise if SF airs it out more which I think they will since they will be playing behind a lot. Eifert no longer has to contend with Jermaine Gresham, can this be his breakout year?
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