RADIO
Last week we looked the first twelve in the Top 25 Tight End Rankings here. Now we'll get into the tight ends who will most likely occupy flex spots or ride the bench. Still you should know all these top tight ends and be prepared on draft day in case one of them falls to you at a great value in your fantasy football draft.
For more tiered rankings and analysis, be sure to check out our Wide Receiver Rankings (Top 20, Top 40, Top 60), Running Back Rankings (Top 12, Top 25, Top 37, Top 50, Dynasty Top 30), Quarterback Rankings (Top 10, Top 21, Top 32, Dynasty Top 15), as well as RotoBaller’s overall Standard League and PPR Rankings.
Tier 5 Tight Ends Continued
13. Charles Clay - Miami Dolphins - 6'3" 250 lbs.
69 Rec - 756 Yards - 6 TD / 7 Rush - 15 Yards - 1 TD
Coaching Change: OC - Bill Lazor
Clay began last preseason in relative obscurity as a fullback / tight end hybrid stuck behind Dustin Keller on the depth chart. In mid-August, Keller suffered a season-ending injury and Clay was thrust into the starting role. He ended up being a really nice cheap option at the position, scoring 5+ points eight different times with seven total touchdowns. Given his previous fullback experience, he was also used as a goal-line rusher, though he only managed to score once. He proved to be a very apt pass catcher and was also second among tight ends in missed tackles (16). Clay will continue to be a big part of the Dolphins offense under new OC Bill Lazor coming over from Philadelphia. The Eagles used their tight ends pretty heavily in the passing game, which bodes well. Charles Clay represents really great value in the later parts of the draft if you miss out on a top tight end.
Tier 6 Tight Ends
14. Dennis Pitta - Baltimore Ravens - 6'4" 245 lbs.
20 Rec - 169 Yards - 1 TD
Coaching Change: OC - Gary Kubiak
I am notably low on Pitta. Simply put, I have never been wowed by his ability as a receiver. Although he is from the same draft class as Rob Gronkowski (25) and Jimmy Graham (27), Pitta is fairly old at 29, and many seem to forget this. At his age, he isn't likely to develop into something more than a somewhat decent receiver. As a result, his upside is limited compared to those around him in the rankings. New OC Gary Kubiak was fond of his receivers in Houston, and we should expect the same here. That raises the ceiling for Pitta, but considering his best season saw him notch 669 yards and 7 TD, I wouldn't expect anything more than 800 yards and 6-8 TD in a best-case scenario. Pitta is likely one of the safer picks later on in the draft, but he's not someone I want to pay a high price for.
15. Ladarius Green - San Diego Chargers - 6'6" 240 lbs.
17 Rec - 376 Yards - 3 TD
Coaching Change: OC - Frank Reich
What's not to like about Green late in a draft? He's got the height, he is super athletic and he had the highest yards-per-catch of any player with at least 10 receptions. Not too bad. However, I am not ready to give him the title of superstar in the making. His success last year was a very small sample size, less than half the receptions of fellow up-and-comers Reed and Ertz. More importantly, Antonio Gates should continue to have an important role in this offense. There is no doubt Green will be involved, but with one of the all-time best at the position, Green will likely have to wait one more year before letting loose completely. And that's fine-- he will only be 24 this year. Tons of upside but be aware he has a bigger roadblock than most to unlock it all.
16. Tyler Eifert - Cincinnati Bengals - 6'6" 250 lbs.
39 Rec - 445 Yards - 2 TD
Coaching Change: OC - Hue Jackson
Eifert was pretty highly regarded as a rookie drafted in the first round. Once again, we were reminded that first-round tight ends simply don't perform that well. Will we see an improvement in year two? That remains unclear. I am not exactly optimistic. New OC Hue Jackson didn't really have an exceptional TE in two years with Oakland, though he didn't have much talent to work with. HC Marvin Lewis has never had an exceptional season from a TE in his decade there. Jermaine Gresham has been the best, and while a 700-yard 5-TD season is solid, its not exactly promising for Eifert's sophomore campaign. There are a number of decent targets in this offense beyond A.J. Green (Gio, Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Gresham is still around). Eifert is a decent pick in deeper leagues, but I can't find a compelling reason to be high on him this year.
Tier 7 Tight Ends
17. Heath Miller - Pittsburgh Steelers - 6'5" 256 lbs.
58 Rec - 593 Yards - 1 TD
Coaching Change: None
Heath Miller is one of the most consistent players, averaging about 630 yards and 4 TD over the past 7 seasons, rarely going much higher and never much lower than that. He did have a very good 800-yard 8-TD season in 2012, but that looks like an anomaly. After regressing last year and managing just 1 TD, it's safe to say Miller remains squarely in the middle of those two seasons. That makes him a viable fantasy option, but not a guy you'd like to rely on every single week. If you can get him late in a draft as a backup or TE2 he should be one of the safest picks.
18. Garrett Graham - Houston Texans - 6'3" 243 lbs.
49 Rec - 545 Yards - 5 TD
Coaching Change: HC/OC - Bill O'Brien
A lot of people were intrigued by Graham when Owen Daniels got hurt last year, and rightly so, considering he had three touchdowns in the first five games while Daniels was still healthy. Somehow, Graham managed to play worse once he had the spotlight at the position, and he looked completely mediocre. On the bright side, the offense should be significantly better this year, and Bill O'Brien was the coordinator in New England when they developed the dominant double tight end threat of Gronk and Hernandez. So even though the Texans drafted a tight end in the third round, Graham should still get his looks and will likely be the top of the depth chart at the position. Unfortunately with Ryan Fitzpatrick, the third or fourth best option is that enticing.
19. Dwayne Allen - Indianapolis Colts - 6'3" 265 lbs.
1 Rec - 20 Yards - 1 TD
Coaching Change: None
Its easy to forget about Allen after he missed almost the entirety of 2013, but if you are in a deeper league, you should keep Allen in mind. In their rookie seasons, Allen easily outplayed Coby Fleener. Without Allen last year, many expected Fleener to become a very good fantasy tight end. It never really came to fruition, and as a result Fleener was unable to run away with the job. Allen should be the top guy, but with Reggie Wayne returning and Hakeem Nicks added into the mix, Allen might not get enough looks to be a big factor in standard leagues.
20. Delanie Walker - Tennessee Titans - 6'0" 248 lbs.
60 Rec - 571 Yards - 6 TD
Coaching Change: HC - Ken Whisenhunt, OC - Jason Michael
Last year, Walker had a solid PPR season at tight end in his first go with the Titans. Unfortunately, that also went with one of the lowest YPC and YAC for any tight end. Those low averages prevented him from really having a notable season. Now Ken Whisenhunt steps in as coach, and with the expected emergence of Justin Hunter and the addition of Dexter McCluster, it is unclear just how involved Walker will be. My guess is that Walker doesn't get very close to 60 receptions again this year, and if that is the case, Walker isn't that interesting outside of two-TE leagues.
21. Jared Cook - St. Louis Rams - 6'5" 254 lbs
51 Rec - 671 Yards - 5 TD
Coaching Change: None
Cook was a popular preseason breakout candidate last year. After a monster Week 1 (141 Yards, 2 TD), his value went through the roof. Disappointingly, he never came close to that number again (Week 1 accounted for over 25% of his point total on the year), and owners ended up clinging on too long hoping for more. There is some potential for a post-hype decent year from Cook, but I am not a big fan of Bradford or the Rams offense, so I'll pass.
Tier 8 Tight Ends
22. Coby Fleener - Indianapolis Colts - 6'6" 251 lbs
52 Rec - 608 Yards - 4 TD
Coaching Change: None
I discussed Fleener at some length in the Dwayne Allen ranking. To put it simply, if 2013's numbers were the best he could do with Allen and Wayne both hurt and the running game looking awful, I don't really want any part of Fleener. He should be a reasonably decent option in two-TE leagues. Outside of that he seems overvalued.
23. Eric Ebron - Detroit Lions - 6'4" 250 lbs (Drafted via North Carolina)
2013 College Stats: 62 Rec - 973 Yards - 3 TD
Coaching Change: HC - Jim Caldwell, OC - Joe Lombardi
In the wake of the athletic tight end outburst in the NFL, Ebron became the first player at the position drafted in the top 10 since Vernon Davis in 2006. Ebron is big, fast and very athletic. He went to the perfect landing spot, where he and Stafford should be a nice combination for the next several years. Unfortunately, we are unlikely to see big numbers in Year One. Brandon Pettigrew and Joseph Fauria are both competent receiving tight ends, as well. They have the best wide receiver in the game and two above-average pass-catching running backs. As much as I think Ebron will be a success in the NFL, his path to catches is unclear. I also think the loss of Scott Linehan as OC is significant. In Jim Caldwell's only full season as a coordinator with the Ravens, both Joe Flacco and Ray Rice took big steps backward. Despite that, this team is built to throw and Stafford should continue to put up big numbers. I'm fine with taking Ebron at the end of a draft as a flier pick-- just know that he is much more likely to break out next year.
24. Tim Wright - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 6'4" 220 lbs
54 Rec - 571 Yards - 5 TD
Coaching Change: HC - Lovie Smith, OC - Jeff Tedford
Wright is something of a WR/TE hybrid, which should make sense considering he is 20 lbs. lighter than anyone else in the top 25. This gives him some decent upside, as he is a big athletic guy who could end up being the WR3 in that system. It's funny to think this guy only got a chance because of his ties to Greg Schiano at Rutgers, but he might be pretty valuable to the team. Josh McCown showed last year he loves his tall targets, and he has plenty of them here. If Wright sticks at tight end, he will probably lose out to Seferian-Jenkins, but as a hybrid player he should offer more value.
25. Travis Kelce - Kansas City Chiefs - 6'5" 260 lbs
0 Rec - 0 Yards - 0 TD (Spent season on IR)
Coaching Change: None
You may not know who Kelce is just yet, but you will soon. He missed all of last year with knee surgery, but he was a highly regarded third-round pick going into last year. I had some serious concerns about how close to 100% he would be after serious surgery, but he answered any fears with a fantastic run-and-catch in the first preseason game, and he looked fast! I was wowed. Of course, I know not to overreact to one preseason game, but it alleviated my main concerns with Kelce's health. If any TE going undrafted can really surprise us this year, its Kelce. Alex Smith and Dwayne Bowe have not meshed well, which leaves a ton of opportunity in that offense. Kelce is a great sleeper in the position for deeper leagues, and if he continues to shine, you should seriously consider him.
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.
