The tight end position has curried more favor in recent years. Offenses are targeting the big man more often than ever, especially in the red zone, making tight ends far more valuable than before.
Players like Rob Gronkowski, Greg Olsen and Delanie Walker are proven commodities who can deliver solid production for fantasy owners.
As the position has gotten more publicity, it also has opened up the possibility of finding solid contributors at several points of the fantasy football draft. According to FantasyPros, only two tight ends have average draft positions in the top-40, making it important to have a draft strategy ready when entering your fantasy draft.
Do you take Gronkowski with a high pick and risk losing out on another position? Or do you wait on the position and risk picking up a dud in a position that does feature a strong top and an average middle section.
Here’s two possible busts I’m avoiding early in my fantasy football drafts.
Rob Gronkowski, New England
Maybe I’ve gone crazy. But I just hate taking a tight end in the first round.
Gronkowski is the overwhelming No. 1 among tight ends, with good reason. He’s the No. 1 target in New England’s offense, which happens to be pretty potent.
But he’s currently No. 9 on the overall board according to ADP. That’s a major gamble on a player who has missed significant time due to injuries in two of the last four years.
When he’s healthy, though, he’s a touchdown machine, with double-digit touchdowns in the five seasons he’s played at least 15 games. He also isn’t totally dependent on touchdowns with more than 1,000 yards receiving in the last two seasons.
This is about strategy, though. Gronk is great. But he’s not worth a first-round pick with the tight end position changing across the league.
I can find guys who can put up consistent points, like Jordan Reed, Olsen, Walker and Travis Kelce, far later in the draft. They may not put up Gronk’s numbers, but Olsen, who finished 33 overall points behind Gronkowski last season, has an ADP of 44.
If I want an above-average tight end, I can wait until the fourth round, allowing me to draft high-level running backs and wide receivers. Gronk will likely be a solid performer. He’s just not worth a first-round pick.
Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati
Maybe the Red Rifle is going to show me that he’s the steady, turnover-free quarterback from last year.
Or maybe Andy Dalton is going to revert back to form. I’m guessing the latter will happen, which means bad news for Eifert.
Eifert was a stalwart at the beginning of last season, managing double-digit points in three of his first four games. Injuries slowed him down a bit last year, and even when he was on the field, he didn’t do much from weeks 6 to the end of the season.
He was a touchdown machine, with eight touchdowns in his final eight games. But his yardage concerns me.
He had more games where he had 30 yards or less receiving (three) than games in which he had 90 or more yards (two).
That’s a major red flag. The public’s perception is that he’s a top-tier tight end, especially with an ADP of 61, the fifth-best among tight ends.
He doesn’t get enough targets outside the red zone to warrant such high praise, especially when Kelce and Walker own lower ADPs.
Be careful with Eifert this season. If he’s not hauling in touchdowns, he’s not doing much else.
