Week 7 Tight End Rankings

Well week 7 is now upon us, and just when you thought making it through Jimmy Graham's bye week was enough, it looks like he won't play this week either.  This is a crushing blow for people who drafted him in the first or second round of drafts this year, as he viewed as a cut above the rest at his position because of his production and ability to stay healthy.  Finding someone who can replace him for this week hopefully isn't too tough, as there are a few guys I like that are readily available on the waiver wire for you to scoop up.  Yesterday we covered the QB, RB, and WR, positions, so now it is time to tackle the TE's.  Below are the top 32 TE's in order for week seven, and some added commentary below on a few guys.  Without dragging this intro longer, let's dive right into the commentary and rankings.

Jordan Reed - He has some special talent, and he showed it last week.  In his first game back from the injury, Reed finished with over 90 receiving yards.  As was shown with Niles Paul while he was hurt, the TE in Washington is going to be targeted a lot.  I expect Reed to be a top 10 TE easily while healthy, and can find his way into the top 5 when matchups dictate.

Larry Donnell - The Victor Cruz injury looked bad, and is something that now leaves a huge hole in the offense.  Sure Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to step up his role, but I see Donnell picking up some of the slack as well.  He fell of the map the last two weeks with no points in either week, but I expect him to get back on track against the Cowboys who allow the third most points to opposing TE's

Antonio Gates - On the surface, this may look like a good matchup, but over the last three games, the Chiefs have held TE's to under 35 yards and only one total TD in that span.  This means that the only value you may get from Gates is his potential to score a TD, which is higher than most other players at the position.  I wouldn't expect anything special from him, but his redzone prowess does keep him up this high.

Josh Hill - If you need a Graham replacement, you could take a risk on Josh Hill.  He has only 7 catches on the year, but will get a chance to step up into a bigger role while Graham is sidelined.  It is still a risky choice, as Ben Watson is the better blocker of the two, so they may decide to keep Watson out there to help protect Brees and help Mark Ingram out.  Upside is there, but you have been warned if he only gets one catch.

Teams On Bye: Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers