John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
During the 2008 football season, the tight position wasn’t too valuable in fantasy football terms. The position caught just 137 touchdowns and there were not many quality fantasy options. In 2012, though, the tight end position hauled in a jaw-dropping 196 touchdown passes. The position has emerged as a legitimate fantasy contributor week after week and has changed the world of fantasy football.
To help you during you draft, here is my full fantasy football draft report for tight ends.
Top 10 Average Draft Position (ESPN):
1. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints – 28.3
2. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots – 46.7
3. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons – 51.3
4. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys – 54.8
5. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers – 57.8
6. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings – 78.4
7. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans – 83.5
8. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers – 87.2
9. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers – 87.3
10. Jermichael Finely, Green Bay Packers – 102.5
Top 5 Sleepers:
1. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
2. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers
3. Brandon Myers, New York Giants
4. Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears
5. Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns
The Injury Concern:
The tight end position is at an all-time high as far as injuries. It seems like every player on this list comes with at least some injury risk, but some are a little riskier than others.
Rob Gronkowski – Gronk has had two surgeries this off-season and ha already bee ruled out for Week 1.
Antonio Gates – Gates has missed 10 games over his last three seasons with a nagging foot injury. However, the veteran has caught at least seven touchdowns in nine consecutive seasons.
Jason Witten – Witten dealt with a spleen injury over the first part of last season, but seems 100% healthy this year.
There are plenty of tight ends to target this fantasy season, so don’t be afraid to grab one towards the end of the draft. After all, there are always playmakers to be had after the fifth round.
Make sure to check out my top 100 Facts to Remember Before Drafting.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
