A tight end can be a quarterback’s best friend. They aren’t usually very high in their progressions, but can easily become a crutch when a quarterback is pressured…especially if you have a running back with bricks for hands.
I look at tight ends like a power forwards in basketball. They are large men who often have some sort of athleticism or size advantage. In a perfect situation, like Rob Gronkowski in New England, he has an advantage on every play.
More teams are using athletic, pass-catching tight ends in an attempt to duplicate New England’s success…which is great for fantasy football players.
We rank the top 50 tight ends for the 2016 fantasy football season. It’s a bit overkill, but just in case you’re in a two-tight end leagues.
1. Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots
2. Jordan Reed – Washington Redskins
3. Greg Olsen – Carolina Panthers
4. Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs
5. Coby Fleener – New Orleans Saints
6. Tyler Eifert – Cincinnati Bengals
7. Gary Barnidge – Cleveland Browns
8. Delanie Walker – Tennessee Titans
9. Zach Ertz – Philadelphia Eagles
10. Zach Miller – Chicago Bears
11. Antonio Gates – San Diego Chargers
12. Julius Thomas – Jacksonville Jaguars
13. Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys
14. Dwayne Allen – Indianapolis Colts
15. Jimmy Graham – Seattle Seahawks
16. Eric Ebron – Detroit Lions
17. Martellus Bennett – New England Patriots
18. Jared Cook – Green Bay Packers
19. Austin Seferian-Jenkins – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20. Ladarius Green – Pittsburgh Steelers
21. Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings
22. Jordan Cameron – Miami Dolphins
23. Charles Clay – Buffalo Bills
24. Clive Watford – Oakland Raiders
25. Benjamin Watson – Baltimore Ravens
26. Jace Amaro – New York Jets
27. Hunter Henry – San Diego Chargers
28. Richard Rodgers – Green Bay Packers
29. Maxx Williams – Baltimore Ravens
30. Jacob Tamme – Atlanta Falcons
31. Will Tye – New York Giants
32. Vance McDonald – San Francisco 49ers
33. Jeff Heuerman – Denver Broncos
34. Lance Kendricks – Los Angeles Rams
35. Cameron Brate – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
36. Jermaine Gresham – Arizona Cardinals
37. Jack Doyle – Indianapolis Colts
38. Garrett Celek – San Francisco 49ers
39. Mychal Rivera – Oakland Raiders
40. Brent Celek – Philadelphia Eagles
41. Darren Fells – Arizona Cardinals
42. Vernon Davis – Washington Redskins
43. Austin Hooper – Atlanta Falcons
44. Tyler Higbee – Los Angeles Rams
45. Ryan Griffin – Houston Texans
46. Larry Donnell – New York Giants
47. Virgil Green – Denver Broncos
48. MyCole Pruitt – Minnesota Vikings
49. Josh Hill – New Orleans Saints
50. Dion Sims – Miami Dolphins
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.