X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Tiered Tight End Rankings: Top 12 in Fantasy Football

Tight End is shaping up to be the shallowest position once again this year. As a result I am a strong advocate of getting one of the players in the top two tiers and giving yourself a weekly advantage over your opponent at the position. Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski when healthy are so far and away better than every other player at the position (sorry Julius Thomas lovers) that it makes the position really unique compared to others. While as usual the tiers signify a clear distinction in value, the gap between Tier 1 and everything else is probably the most significant in all of my rankings. Just something to keep in mind on draft day!

For more tiered rankings and analysis, be sure to check out our Wide Receiver Rankings (Top 20Top 40Top 60), Running Back Rankings (Top 12Top 25Top 37, Top 50, Dynasty Top 30), Quarterback Rankings (Top 10Top 21Top 32Dynasty Top 15), as well as RotoBaller's overall Standard League and PPR Rankings.

 

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

Tier 1 Tight Ends

1. Jimmy Graham - New Orleans Saints - 6'7" 265 lbs

86 Rec - 1,215 Yards - 16 TD

Coaching Change: None

Jeffrey Beall - Own workSorry, no surprises at the top. If you could build the perfect pass-catching tight end, he would probably be identical to Jimmy Graham. He is a great red zone target but he is also a fantastic option for Brees anywhere on the field. The crazy part is that he dealt with a foot issue in the middle of the season which limited him to being a decoy and strictly a goal line threat for a couple of games. If he can avoid that, he could get even better. He should be going in the first round of every draft. If you get him any later that, its a huge steal.

 

2. Rob Gronkowski - New England Patriots - 6'6" 265 lbs

39 Rec - 592 Yards - 4 TD

Coaching Change: None

Gronk is basically Jimmy Graham with more injury risk and a worse offense. In some ways that helps make Gronk a bigger part of the offense and it showed when he was on the field last year. Of the seven games he played, Gronk recorded five top-5 fantasy weeks at TE. You should expect more of the same in 2014. While the injuries will be enough to scare some off, the idea that you are almost guaranteed a top-5 week at the TE position when he plays is enough to make the risk worth it. He offers something you simply can't find anywhere else outside of the top 15 picks or so. Rob Gronkowski should be off the board by the late second round.

 

Tier 2 Tight Ends

3. Julius Thomas - Denver Broncos - 6'5" 250 lbs

65 Rec - 788 Yards - 12 TD

Coaching Change: None

RotoBaller-Fantasy-Football-Advice-Julius-ThomasOrange Julius had one heck of a breakout season and was a major factor in Peyton's breaking of the TD record. There were a few red flags that keep me from ranking him over Gronkowski though. While Gronk was averaging over 80 yards per game, Thomas was sitting at just over 50. His value was extremely touchdown dependent and that is backed up by the fact that he had ten games with under 50 yards last season. When you bank on a touchdown every game for your value you are playing a dangerous game. With that said, I think there is a great chance that the Broncos rely on Thomas a lot more in all passing situations this season. He should take a decent portion of the targets that were going to Eric Decker, Emmanuel Sanders can't replace all of that. If he can do that he should have very similar or even better numbers than last season. While I do see him as a step down from the first two guys, he can still give you elite production this season.

 

4. Jordan Cameron - Cleveland Browns - 6'5" 249 lbs

80 Rec - 917 Yards - 7 TD

Coaching Change: HC - Mike Pettine, OC - Kyle Shanahan

Erik Drost - Flickr: Jordon CameronCameron was another guy that enjoyed a big breakout season last year. He slowed down considerably after a monster start to the year, and that will likely keep many people from valuing him as high as I do. There are two things I see as major positives for Cameron's value: He was excellent in the two games before Josh Gordon blew away the fantasy world. He has proven that he has enough size and talent to succeed with little else in the receiving game. Secondly, at this point it looks like Brian Hoyer will be the starting quarterback to begin the season. They appeared to have a great connection in the two games Hoyer started last year. Even if Hoyer doesn't start and Johnny Manziel is the QB, who else will he throw to? Miles Austin is always injured, Nate Burleson will be 33 and Andrew Hawkins is tiny, certainly not an ideal touchdown threat. I think Cameron has a great under-appreciated shot at double digit touchdowns this season.

 

Tier 3 Tight Ends

5. Vernon Davis - San Francisco 49ers - 6'3" 250 lbs

52 Rec - 813 Yards - 13 TD

Coaching Change: None

Obviously Davis enjoyed a great season last year, and seems to have done so under the radar with a great deal of attention going to Julius Thomas despite Davis besting him in yards and touchdowns. Yet here I am acknowledging this fact and still not giving Davis as much respect as he may deserve. Why? He was another guy that was very touchdown dependent, with a staggering 25% of his receptions going for touchdowns (higher if you count the postseason). That number is simply unsustainable. I have no doubt that Davis is extremely talented but he can't keep that up. If we look at the players with fewer than 65 receptions and double-digit TD over the past five years, only one player improved the next season and that was Gronkowski.  Respect to Vernon, but he is not Gronkowski. Many more of the players had 3 or fewer TD the next season. In 2010 Antonio Gates had 10 TD with 50 Receptions and followed it up with a solid 7 TD season. That is a realistic expectation for Davis. It makes him a good option, but not someone winning you games every week.

 

6. Jason Witten - Dallas Cowboys - 6'6" 251 lbs

73 Rec - 851 Yards - 8 TD

Coaching Change: Passing Game Coordinator - Scott Linehan

Witten is getting a little older (he'll be 32 this year) but he continues to perform at a high level and act as a safety-blanket for Tony Romo. The addition of Scott Linehan running the passing game should improve the Cowboys offense as a whole and Witten should be a part of that. Witten saw his receptions dip to their lowest numbers since 2006, but I expect a slight increase again in 2014. There isn't really a possibility of him having a huge season like the players ranked above him but he is one of the safest bets, having played in 175 of 176 games in his career.

 

7. Greg Olsen - Carolina Panthers - 6'5" 253 lbs

73 Rec - 816 Yards - 6 TD

Coaching Change: None

I see Olsen as a lesser version of Witten and it shows in their 2013 stats. The big difference here is that the Panthers have significantly worse receiving options outside of Greg Olsen. That should give him a great shot to at least match his career high of 8 TD. I'm tempted to rank him ahead of Witten because of this but I am holding off on the basis of talent and much better overall offense going to Witten and the Cowboys. That said, with Olsen consistently going a round or later in drafts, he should provide the much better value.

 

Tier 4 Tight Ends

8. Jordan Reed - Washington Redskins - 6'2" 237 lbs

45 Rec - 499 Yards - 3 TD

Coaching Change: HC - Jay Gruden, OC - Sean McVay

Jordan Reed is extremely promising and it looked like it was all coming together in the middle of last season. Unfortunately he suffered a concussion in week 11 and the symptoms lingered which is always a scary sign. He was placed on injured reserve ending his rookie campaign. He appears to be fully healthy and should remain a top option for RGIII despite the addition of DeSean Jackson. There is always the fear another concussion could put his season or even his career at risk but his potential is too much to pass up at this point. The Redskins offense should be improved under Jay Gruden and Reed will have every opportunity to thrive.

 

9. Zach Ertz - Philadelphia Eagles - 6'5" 250 lbs

36 Rec - 469 Yards - 4 TD

Coaching Change: None

Let me start by saying out of all the receivers outside of the top five, Ertz has the best shot of jumping into the upper echelon. He has excellent size with great hands. The only problem that keeps him low on the list is that he didn't show much in his rookie year. Part of that was his teammate Brent Celek being a much better blocker which kept Ertz off the field in many situations. There are a few reasons to remain optimistic though. Rookie tight ends almost never have big seasons, not even Jimmy Graham. If you look at the top five, only Gronkowski was a fantasy threat in year 1. The Eagles also lost their top receiver in DeSean Jackson and also lost Jason Avant. While a lot of those yards will go to Jeremy Maclin and Jordan Matthews, the opportunity has presented itself to Ertz and there is a great chance he will run with it. One very promising indicator is that Ertz has the ability to score plenty of touchdowns: Over the final 9 games (including the playoffs) he scored 5 touchdowns. That would put him at a pace of 8-9. With the expected yardage increase, Ertz would definitely be relevant on a weekly basis.

 

Tier 5 Tight Ends

10. Kyle Rudolph - Minnesota Vikings - 6'6" 259 lbs

30 Rec - 313 Yards - 3 TD

Coaching Change: HC - Mike Zimmer, OC - Norv Turner

So far in Rudolph's career he has been a touchdown or nothing player and I tend to shy away from those types. In fact, he has recorded more than 70 yards in a game just once (last year vs Carolina). You simply cannot become a great fantasy option that way. Yet there is plenty of optimism to go around and it starts with the nice contract extension the Vikings gave him, showing they are committed to Rudolph as their primary tight end. Norv Turner is the new offensive coordinator and he loves using his tight ends. In recent times it's a small sample size because he had Antonio Gates for so long, but he took Jordan Cameron to another level last year as well. Rudolph is not Cameron and will not be that good, but there is no reason he can't enjoy his finest and most consistent season yet.

 

11. Martellus Bennett - Chicago Bears - 6'6" 265 lbs

65 Rec - 759 Yards - 5 TD

Coaching change: None

Listed at the same size as Gronkowski, that is unfortunately about where the similarities end. Bennett enjoyed a nice season last year as TE10, but unfortunately his production went down as the season went on. He had three TD in the first two games but finished with just five. He had at least 5 fantasy points in six of the first seven games but would only hit that mark three more times the rest of the way. The problem with Bennett is that there is no reason to think he can do any better than last year. Ideally Jay Cutler stays healthy all season which should increase his yardage a bit, but his touchdowns were split between both QBs (3 with Cutler, 2 with McCown) and this offense runs through the two wide receivers and Forte. Should any of those guys get injured, I would expect Bennett to see an increase in targets. Otherwise, he's just another guy to have if you wait on tight ends.

 

12. Antonio Gates - San Diego Chargers - 6'4" 255 lbs

77 Rec - 872 Yards - 4 TD

Coaching Change: OC - Frank Reich

Although Gates is now 34 and saw his touchdowns dip to their lowest total since he was a rookie, Gates still put up solid numbers by years end. He's no longer an every week fantasy starter and fellow tight end Ladarius Green has forced his way into the picture, Gates could prove to be a nice value as people pass on him due to age. Despite some injury problems in recent years, Gates has only seen a modest decline in skill to this point. Another positive for Gates: Outside of Keenan Allen the Chargers have nothing but question marks at wide receiver. Danario Alexander and Malcom Floyd are both coming off major injuries and Vincent Brown is nothing special. Even if Ladarius Green starts to become the player many expect him to be, Gates could still continue to do his thing. I imagine even if his yardage goes down he should score a few more touchdowns this year as well.

Stay tuned for the rest of our top 25 TE rankings...

 


Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Aaron Jones Sr.

Injures Hamstring During Sunday Night Football
Darren Waller

Not Expected to Play in Week 3
Garrett Crochet

Punches Out 12 in Win
Cole Ragans

to Return on Wednesday
Jameson Williams

Records Long Touchdown in Week 2, Still Limited to Downfield Role?
George Kirby

Strikes Out 14 in Win
Jayden Daniels

Considered "Day-to-Day" with Knee Injury
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Exits with Back Tightness
Jonathan Taylor

Tops 200 Yards From Scrimmage in Week 2 Win
Joe Burrow

Could Miss Three Months if he Requires Toe Surgery
Davante Adams

Headlines Rams Receiving Corps Sunday
Wan'Dale Robinson

Explodes for 142 Yards, Touchdown in Overtime Thriller
Joe Flacco

Browns Not Considering Benching Joe Flacco After Week 2
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
Luis Arraez

Takes a Seat on Sunday With Head Injury
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Activated, Starting on Sunday
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
Bryan Woo

Records Career-High 13 Strikeouts
Max Muncy

Exits Early on Saturday
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Salvador Perez

Reaches 300 Home Runs, 1,000 RBI
Jose Altuve

Exits Early With Foot Discomfort
Trey Yesavage

Heading to Big Leagues
Will Smith

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
Tarik Skubal

Avoids Serious Injury, Expected to Make Next Start
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
Tanner Bibee

Fans 10 in Two-Hit Shutout
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
CFB

David Sanders Jr. Won't Play Against Georgia
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks
CFB

Dylan Edwards Slated to Return on Friday
Adam Lowry

Aims for Early-Season Return
CFB

Ryan Williams Expected to Play Against Wisconsin
CFB

Billy Edwards Jr. Unlikely to Play on Saturday
P.J. Washington

Officially Signs Contract Extension
CFB

David Sanders Jr. Questionable to Make Debut Against Georgia
Lauri Markkanen

Big at Both Ends as Finland Books Place in EuroBasket Semis
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Notches 39 Points in Losing Effort
NBA

Cam Reddish Expected to Move to Europe
NBA

Trey Lyles Joins Real Madrid
Charles Bassey

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Hawks
Sacramento Kings

Terence Davis Waived by Kings
Matthew Knies

Ready for Bigger Role With Maple Leafs
Jack Eichel

Unbothered by Lack of Extension
Sidney Crosby

Not Thinking About Leaving Pittsburgh
SJ

Michael Misa Signs Entry-Level Contract With Sharks
Rutger McGroarty

Nursing an Injury
Cameron Champ

the Ultimate Wild Card at Procore
Cameron Young

Looks to Extend Momentum in Napa
Davis Thompson

Searching for a Spark at Procore
Sahith Theegala

Looking to Reignite Form at Procore
Mackenzie Hughes

Aims for Another Strong Showing at Procore
Luke Clanton

Brings Ball-Striking Upside to Napa
Seamus Power

Looking to Overcome Poor Course History at Procore
Joe Highsmith

Hoping to Find Form in Napa
Kristaps Porzingis

Reportedly Still Not Completely Healthy
Kelly Oubre Jr.

Reportedly on the Trade Block
Andre Drummond

Future in Philadelphia in Doubt
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Helps Greece Reach Semis at EuroBasket
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Posts Historic Triple-Double

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP