Top 7 Season-Long Fantasy Tight Ends
7. Charles Clay, Miami Dolphins (Pick 100+)
There are a few other breakout TE candidates in the later rounds you should consider such as Washington’s Jordan Reed, Dallas’s Jason Witten, and Minnesota’s Kyle Rudolph. Clay gets a boost from the underrated Ryan Tannehill at the helm of the Dolphins’ offense, and he should see the third most targets behind Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline.
6. Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns (Pick 80 – 90)
The combination of Josh Gordon likely missing the entire 2014 season and the Browns opting not to address the WR position adequately in this year’s draft leaves Cameron the lone receiving threat for the Browns and significantly enhances his value.
5. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers (Pick 60 – 70)
Like Cameron, Olsen is a TE who benefits from a lack of credible WRs on his team. Even with Steve Smith still on the roster, Olsen was the better receiver for Cam Newton in 2013. With Smith now gone, expect Kelvin Benjamin to struggle while learning the finer points of the wideout position his rookie year and Olsen to see the lion’s share of the targets in 2014. He finished with 90+ targets, 800+ yards, and 5+ TDs in both the 2012 and 2013 seasons. He should see those same numbers again this year.
4. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers (Pick 50 – 60)
Davis will have considerable competition for targets from Michael Crabtree and Anquan Boldin. But don’t forget that Davis scored 13 touchdowns in 2013, 2nd most for TEs behind Jimmy Graham. Don’t worry about the current holdout: all signs point to Davis reporting to training camp with or without a contract.
3. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots (Pick 20 – 30)
Gronk may represent the biggest boom/bust candidate for season-long fantasy formats. He has missed 14 games in the past 2 seasons and seems at risk of a season-ending injury every time he steps on the field. But if he can avoid injury, he may return to his 2011 form when he recorded this ridiculous statline: 90 receptions on just 121 targets producing 1,327 yards and 17 TDs. In contrast, injuries limited Gronk to scoring just 4 TDs in 2013. Draft at your own risk.
2. Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos (Pick 20 – 30)
After recording just 1 reception on 5 targets in all of 2011 and 2012, Thomas exploded for 866 yards and 12 TDs in 2013. In his second season paired with Peyton Manning. With Eric Decker jetting off to New York, Thomas should see an increase in those already impressive numbers.
1. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints (Pick 5 – 10)
Graham is to tight ends what Calvin Johnson is to wide receivers: leagues ahead of any positional competition. 3 straight 900+ yards and 9+ TDs seasons and a career-high in TDs set with 16 in 2013. Still Brees’ top option, 2014 first-round draft pick slot WR Brandon Cooks will steal some targets but may be able to benefit Graham by drawing away coverage. Expect 1,000+ yards and double-digit TDs from Jimmy this year.
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