Gronk isn’t the only injury-prone, potentially elite TE. Jordan Reed also fits that bill, and the Redskins’ new-look passing game (DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon out; Terrelle Pryor in) in an interesting variable when trying to assess him. The same is true for old reliable (read: boring) Delanie Walker, who now has to compete with Eric Decker and first-round pick Corey Davis for targets. Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen feel like “safe” picks, and we all want to think Jimmy Graham is after his bounce-back season, but the jury is still out at least a little bit with him.
And after that, well, tough to say. What’s funny is that neither of the co-leaders in TE touchdowns last year (Hunter Henry and Cameron Brate) are considered top picks, though you can expect Henry to be “everyone’s sleeper” by the time drafts roll around. Kyle Rudolph led all TEs in targets (132), but he’s posted over 495 receiving yards just once in his six-year career. Zach Ertz was one of the other six TEs with over 100 targets last year, but like the Redskins and Titans, the Eagles also added a bunch of capable receivers in the offseason (Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith), which could affect his numbers.
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Guys like Eric Ebron and Coby Fleener are “breakout candidates” every year, and Martellus Bennett is usually just a tease, as well.
Rookies O.J. Howard and David Njoku are interesting until you remember that rookie TEs are rarely consistent, and guys like Julius Thomas, Jason Witten, and Antonio Gates are interesting until you remember they’re old enough to have voted in the Bush-Gore election.
Tight end will probably drive you crazy during your draft, which is why we’ll be updating our rankings and providing in-depth analysis all throughout the preseason. Check back often!
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2017 fantasy football cheat sheet
