This might be the deepest tight end has ever been.

Yes, there is a small dip in production after Gronk and Travis Kelce, but it’s not much. After those two guys, there’s another eight tight ends that I would group together. I’d be perfectly fine with any of the top-ten tight ends being my starter. I normally can’t say that since by the time you get to #8, you’re stuck with a guy who shares playing time or doesn’t get enough targets to help in PPR leagues.

Are any rookie tight ends worth a look this season?

Here are our top 50 tight ends for the 2018 fantasy football season.

1. Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots – As long as Gronk keeps playing, he will be one of the top ranked fantasy tight ends. He’s such a mismatch for defenders, but his body has taken a lot of abuse. Defenders often go low in trying to tackle him, so the injuries have just started to add up. He contemplated retirement this offseason, but decided to give it another year. QB Tom Brady breathed a sigh of relief. If he can stay healthy, he’s an automatic top-three fantasy tight end.
2. Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs – Kelce was former QB Alex Smith’s go-to target. Patrick Mahomes is the starter this year and he would be wise to follow Smith’s actions. Kelce is Gronk-esque as he is a headache to defend. I don’t see a drop-off in his numbers from the quarterback change.
3. Zach Ertz – Philadelphia Eagles –  Ertz had one of his best fantasy seasons of his career in 2017. QB Carson Wentz targeted him often in the redzone and had six touchdown receptions in the first eight games of the year. He finished the season with eight touchdowns and once again surpassed 800 receiving yards.
4. Jimmy Graham – Green Bay Packers – This is the one offseason move that intrigued me the most. Graham was a fantasy monster with the Saints, but hasn’t even been worth the roster spot since he was traded to Seattle. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has often used tight ends in the past, but he has also learned to live without a top-tier tight end the last few years. I think Graham could be a fantasy zombie and come back to life with Rodgers throwing passes to him.
5. Jordan Reed – Washington Redskins – Reed missed ten games last season and has missed significant portions of other seasons. He has great hands and when healthy, there aren’t many tight ends with more upside. He’s currently healing up from offseason toe surgery. He’s still out resting the injury and has yet to suit up this preseason. He’s expected to be ready for Week 1, so his preseason absence shouldn’t alarm you.
6. Delanie Walker – Tennessee Titans – Walker is the go-to target for young QB Marcus Mariota. He’s consistent and is a perennial top-five fantasy tight end. He is dealing with a lower body injury this preseason, but doesn’t appear to be serious. I have no doubt that Walker will be a top-six fantasy tight end this season.
7. Greg Olsen – Carolina Panthers – Olsen is another consistent fantasy tight end, but he endure an injury-plague 2017 season. He’s never had injury issues before last year, so I wouldn’t put the ‘fragile’ sticker on him. Last year was the first time he’s ever missed a game in his career. Panther QB Cam Newton loves Olsen and looks most comfortable when he’s on the field. You can stick Olsen in your lineup and just forget about him. He should deliver just about every week.
8. Evan Engram – New York Giants – Engram made some noise during his rookie season. It was almost a necessity due to all the injuries the Giants occurred to their wide receiving corps. Giants QB Eli Manning looked to Engram in high-pressure situations and the rookie came through for the Giants. I’m not sure if Engram will match last year’s total of 64 receptions, but he should still see plenty of work.
9. Jack Doyle – Indianapolis Colts – Many thought Doyle’s fantasy stock was going to take a hit when QB Andrew Luck was rule out for the season last year. He actually had a great year with 80 catches for 690 yards and four touchdowns. Luck is back under center and needs Doyle as a safety blanket. I think he will be a redzone target and be targeted 80 to 100 times this season.
10. Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings – Rudolph is one of the most talented tight ends in the NFL, but he has missed a lot of time due to injuries. He has been rather healthy the last two seasons. His production tailed off at the end of last season due to an ankle injury. New Vikings QB Kirk Cousins looked to the tight end when he was in a jam. Tight ends Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis were among the top ten every week last year. I’m a bit timid, but I could see Rudolph having a big year for the Vikings.
11. Trey Burton – Chicago Bears – Burton was the backup in Philly the last few years and he signed with the Bears this offseason. He’s a talented tight end with good hands. His most productive season was in 2016 when he had 37 catches for 327 yards. Those aren’t huge numbers, but young QB Mitchell Trubisky needs a large, reliable target. I think Burton will have his best season in the NFL, by a large margin.
12. David Njoku – Cleveland Browns – Njoku is a big, fast tight end who is hard to defend. He has dealt with some drops in camp, but did have a two touchdown game this preseason. I’m not sure what the Browns have in Njoku to be honest. Cleveland hasn’t had a quarterback talented enough to really get the best out of him. He could be on the cusp of a breakout season, he definitely has the physical gifts to be a fantasy stud.
13. Tyler Eifert – Cincinnati Bengals – Eifert has been on the sideline in street clothes for more games than he’s suited up to play. He has only played in 39 of 80 games since he was drafted. He’s talented as hell, but can he stay healthy?  He’s a TE1 when he’s on the field, but he’s a risky pick in deep leagues, since waiver wire options would be slim pickings. He is rumored to be on a play limit per game to keep him healthy.
14. Jared Cook – Oakland Raiders – Cook had an ‘okay’ 2017 season, but he fell flat in the second-half. I guess his production trajectory mirrored how the Raiders performed as a whole throughout the season. Cook averaged around four receptions and 50 yards per game through the first nine games, but then only average two catches and 25 yards the last seven contests. New Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is an offensive mind and he could get Cook involved throughout the season. Cook is currently a backup TE in standard leagues.
15. Charles Clay – Buffalo Bills – Clay had some success for the Bills last season and was one of QB Tyrod Taylor’s go-to targets. This year’s quarterback situation has Clay’s production guesstimates all over the place. I placed him at fifteen since he doesn’t have any competition at his position and think he could be a solid match-up play if your starting TE is on bye week. I think that’s Clay’s ceiling this season. 
16. Cameron Brate – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Brate would be a good TE1 if he didn’t have to share playing time with O.J. Howard. The Bucs do lineup in two-TE sets, but Brate is the clear #1 tight end on the team. The Bucs have been able to use both Brate and Howard at the point where they are fringe fantasy starting tight ends. Both guys caught six touchdown passes last season. Owning either guy will be frustrating since they do get about equal redzone targets in a season.
17. Benjamin Watson – New Orleans Saints – Watson had good numbers the last time he suited up for the Saints in 2015. He spent the last two seasons in Baltimore with limited fantasy impact. He’s getting up their in age, but as long as he can get a few inches of space, QB Drew Brees will find him. He still has good hands and could catch 40 balls and find the endzone a few times.
18. Austin Hooper – Atlanta Falcons – A lot of people thought Hooper was going to have a big 2017 season going into last season. He started the year off on fire with 128 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 1, but he only found the endzone two more times last year. He did average around three catches and 40 yards per game. The upside is there, but he needs to improve his blocking to stay in the game. Falcons head coach Dan Quinn did indicate he has improved in that area, so there’s a chance he could creep into the TE1 area this season.
19. George Kittle – San Francisco 49ers – Kittle was on the field a lot last season. There are some people listing him as a potential sleeper. I think he has upside, especially since Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo started to find him a lot at the end of the year. He’s a talented tight end and could be a nice pick if you’re in two-tight end leagues. You could swipe Kittle up late or for cheap in auctions.
20. Austin Seferian-Jenkins – Jacksonville Jaguars – I’m not quite sure why this dude can’t stick with a team. He was drafted high by the Bucs, they cut him after a year-and-a-half…then caught on with the Jets for the next year-and-a-half. He had success with the Jets and caught 50 passes for 357 yards with three touchdowns. The Jags do use their tight ends a lot, so there’s a chance he could be a post-hype sleeper.
21. Vance McDonald – Pittsburgh Steelers – McDonald didn’t make much of an impact in an injury-plagued 2017 season. It was his first with the Steelers, so it’s hard to say how they will use him this season. He is their best receiving-tight end, so he will be in the game inside the redzone. QB Ben Roethlisberger has a penchant for throwing to his tight end when he’s passing from within the ten-yard line. I think he’s a fringe fantasy tight end going into the season.
22. Mike Gesicki – Miami Dolphins – Rookie tight ends rarely make huge impacts in their first seasons. Gesicki was arguably the best tight end in his draft class. He would be much higher on this list if the dude could block. That skill just isn’t there and will need to become a better blocker to be in the game enough to be fantasy-relevant…but he is an interesting player down the road. His is built like a tank and has good hands, so he could be someone I’d target in a dynasty league to stash.
23. O.J. Howard – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – As I said before, Howard will be a frustrating player to own since Cameron Brate and Howard tend to split redzone targets. Brate is a better blocker, so he gets more playing time. If Brate needed to miss time for any reason, Howard’s fantasy stock would soar, and vice versa.
24. Eric Ebron – Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck has played the majority of his career in a lot of two-TE sets. New Indy head coach Frank Reich used tight ends in a variety of ways when he was the OC for the Eagles. Zach Ertz, Trey Burton, and even Brent Celek all has success in Reich’s offense last year. Ebron is a talented tight end and I think his career will be rejuvenated in Indy. He’s a fringe fantasy tight end, but he’s someone to keep an eye on if Jack Doyle goes down with an injury.
25. Hayden Hurst – Baltimore Ravens – Rookies Mark Andrews and Hurst will be splitting time at tight end for the Ravens. Hurst was taken in the first round and is older than a normal rookie (25 years old) due to him playing minor league baseball before going to college. I don’t see either guy really making a huge fantasy impact this season, but keep an eye on Hurst for the future.

26. Ryan Griffin – Houston Texans
27. Gerald Everett – Los Angeles Rams
28. Virgil Green – Los Angeles Chargers
29. Luke Wilson – Detroit Lions
30. Ricky Seals-Jones – Arizona Cardinals
31. Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles
32. Jake Butt – Denver Broncos
33. Vernon Davis – Washington Redskins
34. Ed Dickson – Seattle Seahawks
35. Tyler Kroft – Cincinnati Bengals
36. Mark Andrews – Baltimore Ravens
37. Marcedes Lewis – Green Bay Packers
38. Garrett Celek – San Francisco 49ers
39. Jesse James – Pittsburgh Steelers
40. Dwayne Allen – New England Patriots
41. Blake Jarwin – Dallas Cowboys
42. Seth DeValce – Cleveland Browns
43. Demetrius Harris – Kansas City Chiefs
44. Josh Hill – New Orleans Saints
45. Adam Shaheen – Chicago Bears
46. Tyler Higbee – Los Angeles Rams
47. Nick Vannett – Seattle Seahawks
48. Jonnu Smith – Tennessee Titans
49. Jordan Akins – Houston Texans
50. Jordan Leggett – New York Jets

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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.