NFL Fantasy Football is fast approaching, and Elite Sports NY has a 2016-2017 Top 10 list for each offensive position. First up, Tight Ends.
By Dustin Shull
One of the most popular things to do these days is play fantasy sports, and with the emergence of Daily Fantasy Football, it has blossomed into an even greater gambling alternative.
The ups and downs that come along with fantasy football are what makes it so addicting and hard to avoid once you get started with it.
Throughout the week, the struggle to put together an optimal lineup while dealing with surprise injuries, bye weeks, players being benched, and whatever other chaos that may arise tear us apart and eat at every ounce of sanity that we have.
Football fans, of course, love to watch their favorite teams, favorite players, or just love the game so much they don’t care who is playing. The hardcore fans that want more than just the one game that their team of choice plays, can join as many fantasy leagues as desired and make every single game important to them.
Whether it is pulling for someone on your fantasy team to score that one touchdown you need to pull out a huge victory or watching your opponents player to make sure he isn’t the one who catches that very same touchdown that you are after.
Yes, every year we claim that we are never playing again because of a forgettable season or we rub it in our friend’s faces without mercy and promise a repeat of the domination you cast on the league all year.
Either way, to get you prepared for your drafts early, Elite Sports NY has four top 10 lists of the best offensive position players in the league for the 2016-17 season. Let’s get started with who we see as the top 10 tight ends for the upcoming fantasy season.
10 – Gary Barnidge
Drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round (141st overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft and then signed by the Cleveland Browns in 2013, Barnidge turned out to be one of the best waiver wire snags of the 2015-2016 season.
Standing 6’6″ and a good amount of athleticism, Barnidge somehow managed to have a breakout year on the miserable Browns team amidst the quarterback struggles throughout the year.
He had 79 receptions for 1,043 yards and added nine touchdowns. Throughout his six previous seasons before, he had only managed 44 receptions, 603 yards, and three touchdowns.
With the signing of Robert Griffin III in the offseason, Barnidge should be pretty excited to have a new QB looking to show that he is still capable of being the field general he was when he led the Redskins to the playoffs his rookie campaign.
Whether or not RG-3 can stay healthy is the only thing that is concerning, and the fact that they lost Mitchell Schwartz and Alex Mack to free agency could mean that he is going to be getting hit a lot.
Barnidge would be ranked higher, but the offensive line questions are worrisome, and that may mean that he will spend more time blocking than being able to do what he did so well last season, run routes and catch touchdowns.
The plus side for the Browns and Barnidge is the incredible trade they somehow suckered the Eagles into taking.
Sliding back to the eighth spot and gaining a third and a fourth this year, as well as a first and a second next year. Only giving up the second spot and a fourth rounder next year, Cleveland more than wins that trade.
Hopefully for the Browns’ sake, they do not repeat what they have done for so many years and drop the ball in the draft. If they could find some solid offensive lineman to fill some holes and some wide receiver or running back help, Barnidge would be less of a target and could shine yet again this season.
With all the question marks on the offensive line and not sure whether or not the Browns can draft enough help to make a difference, I do not see Barnidge repeating last season’s spectacular numbers. Although, I do see him as one of the better tight ends and a solid contributor, with high upside for red zone touchdowns.
Prediction: 65 Receptions – 820 Yards – 6 Touchdowns
9 – Ladarius Green
Coming into his fifth year, Ladarius Green might be looking at a season of very high expectations. Even higher than they have been for the previous four years with the San Diego Chargers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who had eyed taking Green in the 2012 draft, signed him to a four-year $20 million deal. If Green can hit his ceiling with one of the best signal-callers in the game, Ben Roethlisberger, then he may be looking at a breakout year.
We have yet to really see what Ladarius can accomplish since he has played behind Antonio Gates, a future Hall-of-Famer, all of his first four seasons.
Look back to Delanie Walker, an athletic and tough tight end, coming from the 49ers to the Titans after spending his first seven years behind Vernon Davis. He got to become the exclusive tight end and we all know how popular he is with fantasy owners now.
Green has incredible upside with his freakish athleticism and speed for a big guy. Put that together with the ferocious offense that will take the field for Pittsburgh next season and the fact that Big Ben loves his tight ends almost as much as he does Antonio Brown, Ladarius could fare very well.
We got to see a glimpse of what he could bring to the table when he started the first four games for the suspended Gates. He had 19 catches, 224 yards, and two touchdowns in those four games and finished the year with 37 catches on 63 targets, 429 yards, and four TDs.
Green is going to have a great year, but there are three things that could hinder all of that; Jesse James became a favorite target for Roethlisberger and could cut into packages for Green, the offense has a lot of mouths to feed and he could be the odd man out in that mess of talent, and obviously injuries.
If Green can get a nice share of targets and not squander any of those chances, expect big numbers from this guy. He has all the talent in the world to be something special.
Prediction: 67 Receptions – 750 Yards – 7 Touchdowns
8 – Austin Sefarian-Jenkins
Austin Sefarian-Jenkins came out of Washington in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was thought to be an immediate impact due to his success at the collegiate level.
The only downside is that Sefarian-Jenkins has struggled with injuries the first two seasons of his career.
His rookie year was cut short due to a foot injury and landed him on the injured reserve. 2015 looked to be a lot different with Sefarian-Jenkins looking much healthier and new quarterback Jameis Winston (first overall pick in the 2015 draft) throwing him the ball.
Everyone knows that a rookie QB’s favorite target and security blanket is his tight end, Winston was expected to have more than just a short-range target due to Sefarian-Jenkins playmaking ability and ability to be a top pass-catcher.
It also does not hurt to have a great running back like Doug Martin and plenty of attention being averted away from you due to the fact that Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson are also running down the field.
Tampa Bay has certainly helped their cause by hiring Dirk Koetter as the new head coach, the former offensive coordinator of the team. The offense will not be changing and having an offensive minded coach should bode well for Sefarian-Jenkins.
If he can stay healthy and Jameis can build on his impressive rookie year, the sky is the limit for this offense and those two as a QB to tight end threat.
Sefarian-Jenkins has the ability to lose tacklers, beat secondaries, and make play after play. I’m banking on a nice year from him, just so long as he can avoid the injury bug that has seemed to hang around him so far in his still young career.
Prediction: 62 Receptions – 780 Yards – 7 Touchdowns
7 – Julius Thomas
It has been a long time since we have seen a tight end burst onto the scene quite like Julius Thomas did with Broncos in 2013.
Now there is no doubting his talent, but it has to be said that possibly the greatest quarterback to ever take the field, Peyton Manning, was a big reason for such an outbreak. No one was better at making receivers better, especially tight ends, than The Sheriff.
That being said, Thomas definitely is a tremendous red zone threat and has a very nice set of hands on him. A very big target with the ability to separate from defenses, or hang around defenders, can make plenty of big catches.
Thomas set a Broncos’ record for most touchdown catches by a tight end in a single season with 12 and added 788 yards on 65 catches as well. He also tied the single-game record (Shannon Sharpe) for touchdown catches by a tight end with three in the first half of the first game of the season against the Indianapolis Colts.
Thomas signed a hefty contract with the Jaguars in the 2015 offseason (Five years $46 million) and was expected to be the full-time starter there as well. He missed the first month of the season for the Jags, but still managed to put up solid numbers only playing in 12 games in a new offense (46 REC, 455 YDS, 5 TD).
With one year under his belt and being more acclimated with the offense as well as the emergence of young quarterback Blake Bortles, we should see a lot of what we saw from Thomas in Denver.
In no way am I comparing Blake Bortles to Peyton Manning, but there is no reason that Bortles can’t make great use of Thomas in the red zone like Manning did.
Prediction: 70 Receptions – 750 Yards – 11 Touchdowns
6 – Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce did everything to earn his contract extension he signed this January for five years and $46 million. After a 2014 Kansas City Chiefs team saw no wide receiver catch a single touchdown pass, the 862 yards and five touchdowns from Kelce were the majority of the offense outside of Jamaal Charles‘ ridiculous year.
2015 was not the same, as the arrival of Jeremy Maclin seemed to change a lot of the Chiefs’ misfortunes in the passing game. Kelce still managed to put up 875 yards on 72 catches and hauled in five more touchdowns.
Drafted out of the University of Cincinnati in the 2013 NFL Draft in the third round by the Chiefs, where he missed the majority of the season due to injury and had some worries about his conduct after being suspended for a season for violating team rules.
He has been more than a pleasant surprise as he has managed to steer clear of trouble, aside from his obscene gesture directed at Von Miller, and become a leader on the team.
One of Alex Smith’s favorite targets, an offense full of weapons, and a defense that can keep other team’s offenses off the field means that Kelce should continue to watch his numbers stay amongst the top of the tight end ranks.
I would like to see his touchdown numbers go up a bit, but with a team who didn’t have a WR catch a single touchdown two seasons ago, you can’t be too mad about the tight end catching five in each of his first two full seasons.
I look for the touchdown numbers to surpass five this season and Kelce to finally slip into the 1,000 yards receiving area.
Prediction: 80 Receptions – 1,045 Yards – 8 Touchdowns
5 – Tyler Eifert
Taken in the first round (21st overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft, Tyler Eifert, the tight end out of Notre Dame, was thought to be a very special talent.
His rookie year was good, but nothing spectacular, catching 39 passes for 445 yards and two touchdowns. The following year Eifert was trying to break free of a tackle against the Ravens and landed awkwardly, dislocating his shoulder, thus ending his sophomore year way too early.
2015 was the season that the Bengals were expecting of Eifert when they took him in the first round. He broke out and became the clear favorite red zone target of Andy Dalton by catching an absurd 13 touchdowns on 52 catches.
It would be nice to see Eifert get a little more when it comes to yardage, but in fantasy football, you will trade a few yards for the number of touchdowns that he will bring in for you. It helps tremendously that four of the eight games that Eifert caught a touchdown were multiple TD catch games.
The Bengals offense lost two of its starting wide receivers in Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, and may see a little bit of a dip in offensive production. That could mean bad luck for Eifert since it will be easier for defenses to zero in on him.
The plus side is that as long as the Dalton can get the team close enough to the end zone it doesn’t matter how much firepower they have, Eifert is a flat-out beast in that part of the field. His height and athletic ability make him one of the most dangerous threats when it comes to finishing off drives.
Prediction: 75 Receptions – 780 Yards – 12 Touchdowns
4 – Delanie Walker
Putting Delanie Walker at four might rub some people the wrong way. Mainly because he plays for one of the worst teams in the NFL, the Tennessee Titans. Very true that they are a team that most fans are excited to watch their teams beat up on when it comes their teams turn to do so.
On the other hand, you have to respect a guy that can haul in 94 catches for 1,044 yards while adding six touchdowns on a team that could only muster three wins, had a rookie quarterback, struggling offensive line, no run game, and no other receivers to take the attention off of him.
Walker is one of the toughest gamers in the league and for his size is astonishingly difficult to tackle. Take that tenacity, add in his athleticism and blocking ability, you have a highly formidable tight end.
Walker spent most of his career in San Francisco playing behind Vernon Davis and only getting occasional chances to play. Tennessee saw the breakout potential in Walker and signed him to a four-year $17.5 million deal. What was once ridiculed as too big of a contract, is now being seen as a solid steal for the Titans.
In his first three years with the team as the full-time starter, Walker has improved his statistics in each of those.
First-year stats: 63 REC, 571 YDS, 6 TD.
Second-year: 63 REC, 890 YDS, 4 TD.
Third-year: 94 REC, 1,088 YDS, 6 TD.
Last year was a bit of a circus for the Titans as they drafted Marcus Mariota out of Oregon with the second overall pick and accustomed the offense to his style of play, fired head coach Ken Whisenhunt midway through the season, and injuries plagued the team for most of the season. Still, Walker found a way to be one of the lone bright spots for the team.
Tennessee accrued an assortment of picks, six through the first 76, and should be able to help shore up the roster and help the team and Walker out. New GM Jon Robinson has an eye for talent, as he was director of the college scouting for the New England Patriots from 2009-13, and prior to that was the regional scout and area scout (2002-09).
Delanie should continue to see his numbers rise again this year as the team is improving and the draft has the potential to help move along that improvement. Mariota and Walker have a noticeable chemistry which will only grow in their second year together.
Prediction: 90 Receptions – 1,105 Yards – 8 Touchdowns
3 – Jordan Reed
Jordan Reed was a part of a Washington team that took everyone by surprise as one of the league’s more explosive offenses behind Kirk Cousins‘ first full year as the head signal caller.
Reed gave everyone glimpses of what he had to offer offensively in his first two years with Washington after being drafted in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft but struggled to stay on the field due to injuries.
He has a ton of raw talent, and for a guy who looks like a wide receiver, he plays very much like a tough tight end.
In 2015 Reed, not able to play all 16 games, but managed to suit up for 14, broke out and was one of the key components of the Washington offense that found their way into the playoffs. He was a touchdown machine, bringing in 11 on 87 catches to go along with 952 yards.
With those two extra games that Reed missed he most certainly would have surpassed 1,000 yards and may have snagged a couple more touchdowns.
The Washington offense relies heavily on how well Cousins can perform in his second year as a starter but there should be no concerns as to whether Reed will still be fed the ball consistently throughout.
Reed is in a perfect situation with the deep threat Desean Jackson keeping secondaries honest, as well as Pierre Garçon, Jamison Crowder, and a decent stable of running backs helping free him up.
Reed has the talent to be in the argument as best tight end in the league, and his fourth season, barring health issues, should prove that.
Prediction: 92 Receptions – 1,010 Yards – 12 Touchdowns
2 – Greg Olsen
Did anyone have the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl last year? If you said yes, and are not a Panthers fan, you are lying. The Panthers were a team that most everyone stayed away from when it came to fantasy drafts before the season started, as they rightfully should have, especially when Kelvin Benjamin was lost for the season.
Although they didn’t have a ton of players on the team that were viable fantasy options outside of Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, and Ted Ginn Jr, they were huge for whoever ended up with them.
It was a big head scratcher when the Chicago Bears traded Olsen to the Panthers in 2011, but Panther fans have had no reason to complain about only losing a third-round pick for the production that came along with him.
Olsen is starting to get up there in age and is about to hit the point of decline, but he is still managing to get better and stick around as on of the top tight ends in the game.
Piling up 1,000 yards receiving in two straight seasons and being heavily targeted by Newton both of those years (245 targets), he will continue to see the ball coming his way.
Getting Benjamin back this year will be a very welcomed sight by not only the Panthers nation but Olsen as well. If he can put up 1,100 yards being the focal point of the offense, imagine what he will do with a healthy and now experienced Benjamin, and a rejuvenated Ted Ginn Jr.
Olsen should have at least a couple more years of high-level football left in him and will be a top drafted tight end in most fantasy leagues. As long as Newton can continue growing and running the offense as well as he has so far, Olsen will be worth one of those high picks.
Prediction: 88 Receptions – 1,150 Yards – 10 Touchdowns
1 – Rob Gronkowski
No-brainer here. Rob Gronkowski is a rare talent that we don’t get to see come along very often. Add in the fact that Tom Brady, one of the, if not THE, greatest quarterbacks of all-time is throwing him the ball and he becomes even scarier.
Four Pro Bowls, four First-team All-Pros, Super Bowl Champion, Touchdown receptions leader in 2011, and NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2014. That is quite a resume in only six seasons, two of which were marred by injuries.
In 80 games Gronk has compiled 5,555 yards on 380 catches and tallied an insane 65 touchdowns. Those, to most people, would be considered video game numbers.
It is no secret to anyone that Brady is more often than not looking to go Gronk’s way, but that doesn’t help defenses to slow him down the least bit. It is impossible to focus on Gronkowski because Brady will still carve you up with whoever is running routes for him.
Gronk will drag defenders into the end zone, out jump them, and pull in anything that comes close to him. The man is damn-near unstoppable and will not stop anytime soon.
The Patriots will undoubtedly go into the 2015-16 season as Super Bowl contenders yet again, and as long as Gronk can stay healthy he will be a pertinent factor in the team reaching that goal yet again.
Prediction: 85 Receptions – 1,200 Yards – 15 Touchdowns