Are you willing to use a first-round pick on tight end Jimmy Graham? My 2014 Tight End rankings indicate there are several tough questions like this you’ll have to answer.
More tough questions include, “Are you willing to use a second- or third-round pick on Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, who missed time last season with forearm and back issues, before tearing an ACL in his knee late in the year?
Which Chargers tight end are you thinking about taking – or are you going to pass on both, in spite of the fact quarterback Philip Rivers has always been a fan of utilizing his tight ends?
The explosion in the passing game continues to have effects all over the Fantasy Football landscape, and no position likely has been effected as much as tight ends.
Behind the Numbers
If we look back 10 years, we see that there were just a couple tight ends that eclipsed 100 Fantasy points: Shannon Sharpe, one of the all-time greatest Fantasy tight ends, and Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez, who recently retired as possible the greatest ever.
Comparing those numbers to last season, there were 10 tight ends that scored over 100 Fantasy points, just one year after 11 tight ends did it in both 2011 and 2012.
While the top of the position looks in great shape, with Graham, Gronk and Broncos TE Julius Thomas, it’s actually a little farther back that looks much more inviting for fantasy owners. With so many players scoring 100 points, there’s not really a need to spend an early pick on one of the studs.
A Modest Proposal: 2 Tight Ends?
The other day, I was on Nando Di Fino’s “Fantasy Funhouse” show on the SiriusXM Fantasy Sports channel, and I shared this idea: Let’s kill the flex position altogether, and let’s make all standard leagues start two quarterbacks, two running backs, three wide receivers, TWO tight ends, one kicker and one defense/special teams. Then, dial back the scoring for quarterbacks, giving them just three points for passing touchdowns, and I think this fixes a lot of the unbalanced issues we see in many drafts these days.
2014 Tight End Rankings
Our rankings are based on standard scoring for 12-team, non-PPR leagues, with rushing and receiving touchdowns receiving six points each, and turnovers losing two points each. I also take a look at tight ends over at FantasySports.About.com, if you want to see more discussion about the position.
2014 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DST | Top 60 via 3 Expert Mock Drafts
Top 300 Rankings
Steelers TE Heath Miller is coming off torn ACL from 2013, but he should return to being one of Big Ben’s favorite targets near the goal line. Photo Credit: Jozak78
You have to love the depth in the 2014 Tight End rankings, especially if you plan on waiting to take your first one! Check back often to see our updated rankings at all of the other positions.
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