2013 TE review, early 2014 rankings
By Eric Karabell | ESPN.com
Though owning New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski during the 2013 season tested many a frustrated fantasy owner, this was generally a productive position that was tough to complain about. Tight end scoring has never been higher, with 3,768 standard fantasy points from the position this past season, and for those in standard leagues, it wasn't terribly difficult to find a reasonable option. Let's discuss some of those reasonable options here. We've recapped/previewed quarterback, running back and wide receiver already, so with the Super Bowl on the horizon, let's finish up our position write-ups with tight end.
Tight end Most Valuable Player: New Orleans Saints star Jimmy Graham seemed on his way to breaking the all-time mark at the position for touchdowns and fantasy points in a season, but ultimately fell just short. Graham scored 211 standard points, 22 behind Gronkowski's 2011 record, and scored 16 touchdowns, one off what Gronk achieved that season. Still, no wide receiver scored as many as 16 touchdowns this past season. Graham was spectacular and consistent, scoring in double digits for standard formats in 12 of 16 weeks. While the Denver Broncos' Julius Thomas and Cleveland Browns' Jordan Cameron were certainly superior values based on draft position, Graham was in a class by himself, outscoring No. 2 tight end Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers by 55 points; for perspective, Graham was the No. 9 flex option for the season, as only five running backs and three wide receivers outscored him. Even if you had to use a second-round pick to get him, Graham is the position MVP.
<OFFER>Tight end Least Valuable Player: Does Gronkowski deserve attention in this category? Well, it was obvious much over the 2013 summer that he wouldn't be ready for Week 1 of the season, as he aimed to recover from arm and back injuries. One had to know this in advance and prepare accordingly, and hopefully Gronkowski owners were able to secure Thomas, Cameron or other helpful options such as the Miami Dolphins' Charles Clay and Tennessee Titans' Delanie Walker via free agency. Gronkowski didn't produce numbers until Week 7, but he was an instant hit. He scored 20 fantasy points in Week 9 and built a four-game touchdown streak … and then tore up a knee and left the Patriots and fantasy owners before the December playoffs really got going. That's not really a least valuable player. Gronk tied for 14th in season scoring at the position in just seven games. One could argue Gronk's former teammate Zach Sudfeld was least valuable; there was an opening in New England for a starting tight end, and the fantasy narrative oddly produced the rookie Sudfeld, and somehow the hype machine got him drafted in fantasy leagues ahead of Martellus Bennett and Coby Fleener, among others. Sudfeld scored five fantasy points all season, ultimately getting cut by the Patriots and joining the New York Jets. So with the top tight ends on draft day generally providing enough value to remain owned all year, except for the injured Kyle Rudolph and Owen Daniels, how about the St. Louis Rams' Jared Cook for LVP? He scored 24 points in Week 1, becoming oh so popular. Too popular. The next time he reached five fantasy points in a game was Week 9. How many owners kept him active in that span? Yeah, he's definitely our LVP.
[h=4]My (Early) Top 25 TEs For 2014[/h]First tier (Round 2)
1. Jimmy Graham, Saints
Second tier (Rounds 5 and 6)
2. Vernon Davis, 49ers
3. Julius Thomas, Broncos
4. Jordan Cameron, Browns
5. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
6. Jason Witten, Cowboys
Third tier (Rounds 8 and beyond)
7. Greg Olsen, Panthers
8. Coby Fleener, Colts
9. Dennis Pitta, Ravens
10. Jordan Reed, Redskins
11. Ladarius Green, Chargers
12. Antonio Gates, Chargers
13. Tyler Eifert, Bengals
14. Zach Ertz, Eagles
15. Martellus Bennett, Bears
16. Kyle Rudolph, Vikings
17. Charles Clay, Dolphins
18. Owen Daniels, Texans
19. Delanie Walker, Titans
20. Timothy Wright, Buccaneers
21. Heath Miller, Steelers
22. Jared Cook, Rams
23. Andrew Quarless, Packers
24. Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars
25. Brandon Pettigrew, Lions
Biggest surprise: Let's go with the aforementioned Thomas. The former college hoops player totaled one reception in his first two seasons in the league. The Broncos talked him up in August, but who could have foreseen 788 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns? Those owners who drafted after Week 1 surely knew about Thomas, but based on ESPN ADP prior to the first game, 12 tight ends were drafted better, including Cook, the New York Giants' Brandon Myers and the Green Bay Packers' Jermichael Finley. Ultimately, Graham and Davis were the lone tight ends to outscore Thomas. He was a revelation not only for Peyton Manning, but for us as well.
Biggest misconception: Fantasy owners are always looking for an edge, yet they tend to overrate how some quarterbacks don't seem to focus on certain wide receivers or tight ends. Take the 49ers' Davis with Colin Kaepernick, for example. In 2012, Davis was performing just fine with Alex Smith at the helm, and when that situation changed, Davis really underachieved when Kaepernick took over. Fantasy owners didn't really hold that against Davis, to their credit, as he was a sixth-round pick in ESPN ADP, fifth at the position. Davis ended up scoring 13 touchdowns. You'll continue to hear future talk about how this guy doesn't work well with that guy, or that a backup quarterback can harm a productive tight end like in Cleveland with Jason Campbell and Cameron, and it's just not true. These things are cyclical.
Youngster to watch: The great Antonio Gates concluded his 11th NFL season as fantasy's No. 10 tight end, hardly a disappointment. However, the San Diego Chargers have a star in the making -- a future Gates, perhaps -- in Ladarius Green, who averaged more than 22 yards per reception on his 17 catches. Green wasn't used enough for consistent fantasy relevance, but that should change in 2014. Maybe the Chargers play more two-tight end sets, or Green lines up on the outside more. He's a physical specimen at 6-foot-6 and 238 pounds, and he runs like a wide receiver. There's actually nice depth at the tight end spot and several youngsters figure to take Cameron-like steps up this coming season, from Zach Ertz with the Philadelphia Eagles to Tyler Eifert with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Veteran to watch: Well, first things first, keep an eye on what happens with Atlanta Falcons Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez. Fantasy owners tend to annually discount him, though not so much in 2013 when he was the No. 3 tight end off the board, and was every bit worth it. Gonzalez claims to be retiring, but don't be surprised if the Falcons, who are likely to rebound with good health in 2014, convince him to play one more season. Then there's the Baltimore Ravens' Dennis Pitta; he finished among the top 10 scorers at the position in 2012, but suffered a severe hip injury in July 2013 and was believed to be lost for the season. He wasn't. Pitta returned in Week 14 and caught a touchdown pass. Though he might be headed to a new team, don't be caught off guard when he returns to relevance in 2014.
Keeper notes: A year ago, Gronkowski and Graham would have been the lone tight ends worthy of being protected unless it was a really deep league. Now the case can be made for several other choices, such as Davis, Thomas and Cameron. Still, the best advice is to avoid forcing things. After all, Gronkowski isn't likely to be ready for Week 1 yet again. Davis, for all his touchdown goodness, hauled in a mere 52 passes. Thomas has had one big season. It's best to stick with surer things at running back and wide receiver, especially because in most leagues the tight end depth is attractive enough that it's tough to avoid getting a decent one late in drafts. Unlike running back/wide receiver, you need just one good one.
What to watch in 2014 drafts: The case can surely be made for Graham in the first round. After all, he scored one fewer fantasy point than Calvin Johnson, as of now the only non-running back to sneak into my top 10. Graham fits nicely in Round 2 for me, but after that there's a large drop in tight end value. Some will view Gronkowski the way they do Graham, which is fair statistically when they're both healthy and on the field, but let's face it, only one of these fellows is what a reasonable person would call durable. Gronkowski is a huge risk. Will he miss all of September again? If you don't get Graham, it's worth waiting a while, even for a guy not ranked in the top 10. Perhaps you'll find the next Thomas or Cameron.
[h=3]Five noteworthy TE stats of 2013[/h]1. As noted earlier, Graham's 211 standard fantasy points were eclipsed by a mere three wide receivers. In 2012, Graham was also the tight end leader in fantasy points, but 18 wide receivers topped his 144 points. For perspective, San Francisco's Davis scored 156 standard points this past season, which was the same total the No. 13 wide receiver (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Vincent Jackson) had.
2. Graham led the position in catches and receiving targets with 144, but second in both categories was the great Gonzalez. If this is the end of his career, fantasy owners will really miss the consistent, high-end production. Gonzalez played the last five of his 17 NFL seasons in Atlanta, and in the past three years he caught 80, 93 and 83 passes, respectively, for 875, 930 and 859 yards and seven, eight and eight touchdowns. He was a top-10 tight end 15 times.
3. Among qualified options, which the Chargers' Green was not, Davis led the position with 16.3 yards per catch. Second at the position was a bit of a surprise. It wasn't Graham or Gronkowski, though each was among the top 40 regardless of position in yards per reception. The answer: the Philadelphia Eagles' Brent Celek, at 15.7 yards per catch, which tied with Vincent Jackson for 15th in the NFL. Yep, that Brent Celek.
4. While this was a banner year at tight end, the top performances were very front-loaded. Vernon Davis scored 30 points in Week 6, the top individual performance of the year, but of the 14 20-point outings of the season, only one came after Week 9! Yep, whereas three tight ends topped 20 fantasy points in Week 1 alone, a total of one such performance came in the final eight weeks! It was Charles Clay in Week 14, incidentally.
5. Graham was the lone tight end to lead the position in scoring in more than one week (without a tie), doing so four times. Others who either led a week or tied for the honor included the Washington Redskins' Jordan Reed, Minnesota Vikings' John Carlson, Houston Texans' Garrett Graham, Buccaneers' Timothy Wright and Eagles' Ertz and Celek. It's a strange crew, but symbolic for a deep position that has its stars, but also plenty of depth and surprises!
By Eric Karabell | ESPN.com
Though owning New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski during the 2013 season tested many a frustrated fantasy owner, this was generally a productive position that was tough to complain about. Tight end scoring has never been higher, with 3,768 standard fantasy points from the position this past season, and for those in standard leagues, it wasn't terribly difficult to find a reasonable option. Let's discuss some of those reasonable options here. We've recapped/previewed quarterback, running back and wide receiver already, so with the Super Bowl on the horizon, let's finish up our position write-ups with tight end.
Tight end Most Valuable Player: New Orleans Saints star Jimmy Graham seemed on his way to breaking the all-time mark at the position for touchdowns and fantasy points in a season, but ultimately fell just short. Graham scored 211 standard points, 22 behind Gronkowski's 2011 record, and scored 16 touchdowns, one off what Gronk achieved that season. Still, no wide receiver scored as many as 16 touchdowns this past season. Graham was spectacular and consistent, scoring in double digits for standard formats in 12 of 16 weeks. While the Denver Broncos' Julius Thomas and Cleveland Browns' Jordan Cameron were certainly superior values based on draft position, Graham was in a class by himself, outscoring No. 2 tight end Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers by 55 points; for perspective, Graham was the No. 9 flex option for the season, as only five running backs and three wide receivers outscored him. Even if you had to use a second-round pick to get him, Graham is the position MVP.
<OFFER>Tight end Least Valuable Player: Does Gronkowski deserve attention in this category? Well, it was obvious much over the 2013 summer that he wouldn't be ready for Week 1 of the season, as he aimed to recover from arm and back injuries. One had to know this in advance and prepare accordingly, and hopefully Gronkowski owners were able to secure Thomas, Cameron or other helpful options such as the Miami Dolphins' Charles Clay and Tennessee Titans' Delanie Walker via free agency. Gronkowski didn't produce numbers until Week 7, but he was an instant hit. He scored 20 fantasy points in Week 9 and built a four-game touchdown streak … and then tore up a knee and left the Patriots and fantasy owners before the December playoffs really got going. That's not really a least valuable player. Gronk tied for 14th in season scoring at the position in just seven games. One could argue Gronk's former teammate Zach Sudfeld was least valuable; there was an opening in New England for a starting tight end, and the fantasy narrative oddly produced the rookie Sudfeld, and somehow the hype machine got him drafted in fantasy leagues ahead of Martellus Bennett and Coby Fleener, among others. Sudfeld scored five fantasy points all season, ultimately getting cut by the Patriots and joining the New York Jets. So with the top tight ends on draft day generally providing enough value to remain owned all year, except for the injured Kyle Rudolph and Owen Daniels, how about the St. Louis Rams' Jared Cook for LVP? He scored 24 points in Week 1, becoming oh so popular. Too popular. The next time he reached five fantasy points in a game was Week 9. How many owners kept him active in that span? Yeah, he's definitely our LVP.
[h=4]My (Early) Top 25 TEs For 2014[/h]First tier (Round 2)
1. Jimmy Graham, Saints
Second tier (Rounds 5 and 6)
2. Vernon Davis, 49ers
3. Julius Thomas, Broncos
4. Jordan Cameron, Browns
5. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
6. Jason Witten, Cowboys
Third tier (Rounds 8 and beyond)
7. Greg Olsen, Panthers
8. Coby Fleener, Colts
9. Dennis Pitta, Ravens
10. Jordan Reed, Redskins
11. Ladarius Green, Chargers
12. Antonio Gates, Chargers
13. Tyler Eifert, Bengals
14. Zach Ertz, Eagles
15. Martellus Bennett, Bears
16. Kyle Rudolph, Vikings
17. Charles Clay, Dolphins
18. Owen Daniels, Texans
19. Delanie Walker, Titans
20. Timothy Wright, Buccaneers
21. Heath Miller, Steelers
22. Jared Cook, Rams
23. Andrew Quarless, Packers
24. Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars
25. Brandon Pettigrew, Lions
Biggest surprise: Let's go with the aforementioned Thomas. The former college hoops player totaled one reception in his first two seasons in the league. The Broncos talked him up in August, but who could have foreseen 788 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns? Those owners who drafted after Week 1 surely knew about Thomas, but based on ESPN ADP prior to the first game, 12 tight ends were drafted better, including Cook, the New York Giants' Brandon Myers and the Green Bay Packers' Jermichael Finley. Ultimately, Graham and Davis were the lone tight ends to outscore Thomas. He was a revelation not only for Peyton Manning, but for us as well.
Biggest misconception: Fantasy owners are always looking for an edge, yet they tend to overrate how some quarterbacks don't seem to focus on certain wide receivers or tight ends. Take the 49ers' Davis with Colin Kaepernick, for example. In 2012, Davis was performing just fine with Alex Smith at the helm, and when that situation changed, Davis really underachieved when Kaepernick took over. Fantasy owners didn't really hold that against Davis, to their credit, as he was a sixth-round pick in ESPN ADP, fifth at the position. Davis ended up scoring 13 touchdowns. You'll continue to hear future talk about how this guy doesn't work well with that guy, or that a backup quarterback can harm a productive tight end like in Cleveland with Jason Campbell and Cameron, and it's just not true. These things are cyclical.
Youngster to watch: The great Antonio Gates concluded his 11th NFL season as fantasy's No. 10 tight end, hardly a disappointment. However, the San Diego Chargers have a star in the making -- a future Gates, perhaps -- in Ladarius Green, who averaged more than 22 yards per reception on his 17 catches. Green wasn't used enough for consistent fantasy relevance, but that should change in 2014. Maybe the Chargers play more two-tight end sets, or Green lines up on the outside more. He's a physical specimen at 6-foot-6 and 238 pounds, and he runs like a wide receiver. There's actually nice depth at the tight end spot and several youngsters figure to take Cameron-like steps up this coming season, from Zach Ertz with the Philadelphia Eagles to Tyler Eifert with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Veteran to watch: Well, first things first, keep an eye on what happens with Atlanta Falcons Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez. Fantasy owners tend to annually discount him, though not so much in 2013 when he was the No. 3 tight end off the board, and was every bit worth it. Gonzalez claims to be retiring, but don't be surprised if the Falcons, who are likely to rebound with good health in 2014, convince him to play one more season. Then there's the Baltimore Ravens' Dennis Pitta; he finished among the top 10 scorers at the position in 2012, but suffered a severe hip injury in July 2013 and was believed to be lost for the season. He wasn't. Pitta returned in Week 14 and caught a touchdown pass. Though he might be headed to a new team, don't be caught off guard when he returns to relevance in 2014.
Keeper notes: A year ago, Gronkowski and Graham would have been the lone tight ends worthy of being protected unless it was a really deep league. Now the case can be made for several other choices, such as Davis, Thomas and Cameron. Still, the best advice is to avoid forcing things. After all, Gronkowski isn't likely to be ready for Week 1 yet again. Davis, for all his touchdown goodness, hauled in a mere 52 passes. Thomas has had one big season. It's best to stick with surer things at running back and wide receiver, especially because in most leagues the tight end depth is attractive enough that it's tough to avoid getting a decent one late in drafts. Unlike running back/wide receiver, you need just one good one.
What to watch in 2014 drafts: The case can surely be made for Graham in the first round. After all, he scored one fewer fantasy point than Calvin Johnson, as of now the only non-running back to sneak into my top 10. Graham fits nicely in Round 2 for me, but after that there's a large drop in tight end value. Some will view Gronkowski the way they do Graham, which is fair statistically when they're both healthy and on the field, but let's face it, only one of these fellows is what a reasonable person would call durable. Gronkowski is a huge risk. Will he miss all of September again? If you don't get Graham, it's worth waiting a while, even for a guy not ranked in the top 10. Perhaps you'll find the next Thomas or Cameron.
[h=3]Five noteworthy TE stats of 2013[/h]1. As noted earlier, Graham's 211 standard fantasy points were eclipsed by a mere three wide receivers. In 2012, Graham was also the tight end leader in fantasy points, but 18 wide receivers topped his 144 points. For perspective, San Francisco's Davis scored 156 standard points this past season, which was the same total the No. 13 wide receiver (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Vincent Jackson) had.
2. Graham led the position in catches and receiving targets with 144, but second in both categories was the great Gonzalez. If this is the end of his career, fantasy owners will really miss the consistent, high-end production. Gonzalez played the last five of his 17 NFL seasons in Atlanta, and in the past three years he caught 80, 93 and 83 passes, respectively, for 875, 930 and 859 yards and seven, eight and eight touchdowns. He was a top-10 tight end 15 times.
3. Among qualified options, which the Chargers' Green was not, Davis led the position with 16.3 yards per catch. Second at the position was a bit of a surprise. It wasn't Graham or Gronkowski, though each was among the top 40 regardless of position in yards per reception. The answer: the Philadelphia Eagles' Brent Celek, at 15.7 yards per catch, which tied with Vincent Jackson for 15th in the NFL. Yep, that Brent Celek.
4. While this was a banner year at tight end, the top performances were very front-loaded. Vernon Davis scored 30 points in Week 6, the top individual performance of the year, but of the 14 20-point outings of the season, only one came after Week 9! Yep, whereas three tight ends topped 20 fantasy points in Week 1 alone, a total of one such performance came in the final eight weeks! It was Charles Clay in Week 14, incidentally.
5. Graham was the lone tight end to lead the position in scoring in more than one week (without a tie), doing so four times. Others who either led a week or tied for the honor included the Washington Redskins' Jordan Reed, Minnesota Vikings' John Carlson, Houston Texans' Garrett Graham, Buccaneers' Timothy Wright and Eagles' Ertz and Celek. It's a strange crew, but symbolic for a deep position that has its stars, but also plenty of depth and surprises!
