The 2017 Tight End Landscape
As will likely be the case until the day he retires (or is broken into two), Rob Gronkowski sits atop the tight end throne, untouched. He’s the best ever talent at tight end, playing with the best ever talent at quarterback… the weekly cheat code doesn’t get much clearer than that. If health wasn’t such a major risk, he’d be a top-eight pick in every draft. Anywhere mid round two and beyond is a steal, risk notwithstanding.
Yet, Jordan Reed and Travis Kelce have really narrowed the gap. On a game-to-game basis, Reed’s ceiling is just about the same, but his health risk is even greater. Kelce, meanwhile, has the highest floor of the bunch, but his underutilization in the red zone keeps his weekly ceiling a serious chunk below. Still, at 6’5″ and now as Smith’s main security blanket, Chiefs Insider Chris Clark expects this usage to change, giving Kelce a ceiling bump and a real chance to finish atop the tight ends yet again, should Gronk and Reed go down. Both are well-worth third round investments for the significant weekly edge they provide.
From here, we rapidly drop from A range talents all the way into the B range. Greg Olsen, Jimmy Graham, and Tyler Eifert all slide in comfortably above the next loaded group. Though these three aren’t quite the week-winners as the trio above, all are well above the pack in terms of floor AND ceiling, making them well-worth a fifth round look. Olsen brings the unmatchable floor, Eifert has the highest ceiling, and Graham is the happy medium between these two extremes.
The next tier is much more crowded, with many names capable of jumping into the A and B level tiers above them, yet with far more question marks that need answering. Hunter Henry slides in at #7 and is our clear favorite to explode in 2017, even with Antonio Gates’ old ass lingering around. Martellus Bennett is right on his heels though, giving the elite Aaron Rodgers his best seam-stretcher yet. History may not be on his side in terms of Packers tight end production, yet Bennett might have the talent to rewrite that script. Delanie Walker‘s been so valuable, but a more crowded cast and age concerns drop him from the B-Level tier he once belonged; meanwhile, Jack Doyle trails only Henry in breakout appeal, as Dwayne Allen‘s trade opens up the path for a bevy of targets in Rob Chudzinski‘s ultra tight-end friendly scheme. Kyle Rudolph rounds out our remaining dependable TE1s after a beastly 2016 in which he led all tight ends in targets.
Though the landscape grows grimmer from here, the price of the remaining TEs is borderline undrafted, meaning you could stock up on a few of these zero-floor, but high upside options at the tail end of your draft and play match ups. Personal favorites include Julius Thomas, Jared Cook, and Jesse James as potential TD monsters. At a certain point in Rounds 12-15, WR and RB talent becomes non-existent, which is exactly when you should be turning your attention to these breakout TE candidates. Alongside quarterback, TE is one of the only positions where real value is findable in the last rounds of the draft.
This wraps up our 2017 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings & Stock Scores. Where is The Wolf insane? Where is he spot on? Are you all-in on Hunter Henry and Jack Doyle too? Are we way too high on Julius Thomas, Jared Cook, and Jesse James? Does Delanie Walker deserve more respect?
Plus, these rankings will be constantly updated throughout the summer as training camp storylines develop, so be sure to check-in early and often. Tune in next week as we release our 2017 Pre-Training Camp Big Board. To make sure you never miss an update, like our Facebook Page, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Plus, subscribe to our mailing list (#WolfPack) on the homepage, as you’ll gain a free copy of our 2017 Fantasy Football Draft Guide (a $14.99 value) for absolutely free. For audio based learners or those with long commutes, make sure to subscribe (and rate us 5 stars) and tune into the Fantasy Fullback Dive on iTunes or Stitcher.
