Today will be concluding the 4 day Fantasy Football preview articles for positional rankings. We’ve gone through QBs, RBs, and WRs, so now it’s time to get to the Tight Ends. The TE position has been evolving for years, becoming more of a WR role. Last year preseason it was hyped to be at its peak, but it seemed to fall way short of expectations. Because of that, this year is more unpredictable than ever. With that in mind, these are my Tight End Rankings and tiers for the 2015 NFL season.
Remember, these rankings are in the order of my personal preference, so if they are within the same tier, I think all of them will be around the same range from a fantasy point projections perspective, so feel free to choose who you prefer.
Tier 1 – Elite
Rob Gronkowski
And then there was 1. In previous years, the TE position has been highlighted with 2-3 players, whether it was Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham, Tony Gonzalez, or 1-2 others. However, this year there is 1 player that stands alone for elite TEs, Rob Gronkowski. Despite Tom Brady likely missing the 1st 4 games of the season, he will still end the year with around 1100-1200 yards and 10+ TDs. He the only TE I would take in not only the 1st, but the 1st 2 rounds of fantasy drafts.
Tier 2 – Top 5
Jimmy Graham
Travis Kelce
Greg Olsen
Martellus Bennett
I put Jimmy Graham 2nd out of respect, but I honestly think he is a big unknown in a Seattle offense that is so run heavy. He will be the #2 option in the red zone behind Marshawn Lynch, and he could be as low as the 4th or 5th TE, but that is still good enough for 2nd tier. Kelce, Olsen, and Bennett are all players that can finish between 800-1000 yards and around 10 TDs. All of them make good pick from the 4th round and lower.
Tier 3 – Starters
Jordan Cameron
Eric Ebron
Kyle Rudolph
Tyler Eifert
Dwayne Allen/Coby Fleener
Julius Thomas
Jason Witten
I like Jordan Cameron this year with the * if he stays healthy. Tannehill loves to go in the middle of the field and that made Charles Clay a lot of money. When healthy, Cameron’s better than Clay. Ebron, Rudolph, and Eifert are young TEs that haven’t proven anything yet, but I have high expectations for all 3. They’ve been outstanding in camp and could be great mid to late round picks. Whoever starts for Indy between Allen and Fleener will benefit from QB Andrew Luck. I think Thomas will hit reality hard without Peyton Manning. Witten is getting up there in age and isn’t a top weapon anymore for Romo.
Tier 4 – Starters
Jordan Reed
Zack Ertz
Vernon Davis
Owen Daniels
Charles Clay
Delanie Walker
Reed has enough talent to be a top 5 TE, but he is 1 of the most injury prone guys in the league. Ertz just can’t seem to shake Brent Celek. I think Davis could be ready for a bounce back year, but he’ll be very hard to trust early. Daniels will do the opposite of Julius Thomas and greatly benefit from now playing with Peyton Manning. Charles Clay got his money, but is on a team that essentially has no QB. Walker has been a consistent player and will put up solid numbers with a better offensive Tennessee team.
Tier 5 – Next Best
Richard Rodgers
Antonio Gates/Ladarius Green
Larry Donnell
Mychal Rivera
Heath Miller
Jared Cook
There is a chance that if you are in a 10 team shallow league, none of the above in this tier will be drafted, but Rodgers is now the TE for the best QB in the world in Aaron Rodgers, he’s worth monitoring. Gates is suspended the 1st 4 games and Green will fill in for him. Rivers likes using his TEs. Donnell started hot, but faded at the end of the year. Rivera is a question mark for the Raiders currently. Miller has been solid but is up there in age and the 5th best option in the Steelers offense. Cook hasn’t done much to garner attention, but I think he’s the 24th best TE for leagues that require 2 TEs.
For an extra tip for this upcoming Football Season, I wanted to give you 6 defenses that I feel will help you get you where you need to be. Some are going much later than I think they will perform, so if you aren’t lucky enough to get Seattle, you can still get a top defense. So the following are my projected top 6 defenses this year.
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Seattle Seahawks
St Louis Rams
Baltimore Ravens
Kansas City Chiefs
The Bills only weakness on defense is a 2nd MLB, but with the mind and blitzing style of Rex Ryan, they could end up being the #1 fantasy defense this year. They are ranked by most as #2. The Bengals on paper have no weakness on defense. They will likely finish in the top 5 in sacks, rush defense, and pass defense. For some reason, people are ignoring them. There isn’t much to say about Seattle defense, but I do think their 7th round ADP is too high.
The Rams have the best defensive line in football and should terrorize QBs all year long. The Ravens may give up points, but they should rack up sacks between Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, and Courtney Upshaw. The Chiefs will not start the year well without run stuffing NT Dontari Poe and their #1 CB Steve Smith. However, if you get them midseason, they will be a boost late as they have maybe the best duo of pass rushers in the league in Justin Houston and Tamba Hali.
During the year I will be giving weekly waiver pickups, as well as weekly start and sit articles. Hopefully this will help you dominate your leagues. Fantasy Football has become so popular around the world. Approximately 30 million people play it a year and around one billion is spent. If you already play it, you know what I mean, if you haven’t, maybe it’s time for you to give it a try, and hopefully I’ll be here to help you. If you have any questions, I can be reached on twitter with the handle @Pacman453323, good luck to everyone.
