RADIO
The tight end position has not been this perplexing in years. New England Patriots superstar Rob Gronkowski has been the only must-start tight end all season, but he will most likely miss Sunday’s game with a knee injury. The former elite Jimmy Graham struggled in his first season with the Seattle Seahawks before being ruled out for the season with a ruptured right patellar tendon. Two of the most popular tight end options are off the board this week and the rest of the field are all in the same range. There are five-to-seven tight ends in the tier below Gronkowski, and you will have to play them based on the situation.
Top Kansas City Chiefs weapon Travis Kelce will be one of the most reliable tight ends in play in Week 13. The fact that Kelce is being referred to as reliable here may make you laugh because he’s been one of the more inconsistent players in all of fantasy this season. While he has his ups and downs, Kelce is one of the most talented tight ends in the NFL. The Oakland Raiders have been historically terrible against good tight ends. Oakland has allowed nine touchdowns to opposing tight ends in just eleven games and has given up the second-most overall points to the position. The bottom line is that a talented tight end should run wild against Oakland, and Kelce has the highest upside this week. Kansas City controls their destiny as far as a playoff spot is concerned, and this game will be massive. Alex Smith has to look for his stud tight end to exploit this matchup and get a big victory to help their playoff chances.
One tight end that you can’t possibly trust is Gary Barnidge. The surprise star of the Cleveland Browns offense has been superb, but he’s been dealing with a quarterback carousel. The news of Josh McCown being out for the remainder of the season with a broken collarbone puts a damper on the potential of Barnidge. The unlikely duo has developed great chemistry and the change to Austin Davis at quarterback makes things more confusing for Barnidge going forward. There’s also the issue of a tough matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Just a few weeks ago, the Bengals held Barnidge to his worst game in months with just two catches for 35 yards. Choose another tight end and improve your chances at a victory in Week 13.
