Week 8 Tight End Rankings

Well week 8 is going to be starting here soon, so it is time to make those roster decisions.  The Tight End position has always been viewed as a collection of mediocre players who are TD dependent to get points for you outside of the elite talent.  Now that is still true, but more guys are starting to fill up that middle tier and separating themselves from the rest.  The top 3 are still the cream of the crop, but instead of not having a middle tier like was viewed in the preseason, players like Greg Olsen, Martellus Bennett, and Jordan Reed have solidified there spots.  The waiver wire still has the same outlook as before though, making it difficult to stream your TE on a week to week basis.  If you are in that position with your roster construction, looking at matchups and the amount of targets they have recently gotten is the best way to go about it.  This is not a strategy that will always work, but it gives you the best chance of not taking a dud.  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.

Owen Daniels - Could Daniels have a better matchup this week?  The last three weeks the Bengals have been torched by the TE position, and that won't get better against the Ravens.  Joe Flacco for as much as he loves to throw the ball down the field, he also uses the checkdown pass frequently, and that is where Daniels comes into play.  He scored a TD last week, which was his first since week two, and I could see him getting a nice TD streak going here.  When you are targeted as many times as he is, good things are bound to happen.

Jimmy Graham - Last week was the nightmare scenario for a fantasy owner.  Graham was active for last weeks game, but reports were saying that he was going to be limited to only the redzone and special packages.  For a player like Graham, all he needs is one play in the redzone, as he can go up and get a jumpball over anybody who is covering him.  In the one league I have Graham in, I didn't start him because of what Calvin Johnson did earlier this year.  Just because he is on the field, if he is still hurting or limited, it is too risky to play him.  I have a somewhat similar approach this week with Graham.  I wouldn't say don't play him, but there is a chance you have one of the nine guys ranked above him because of the last two weeks.  Once he appears to be healthy, he will firmly be back in the top 3.

Zach Ertz - Don't feel good about this ranking, as it is more of a hedge than anything.  Ertz does get to go up against the Cardinals who have allowed over 80 yards receiving to TE's four times so far this year.  That plays right into Ertz's hand, but the chance that he just completely disappears during the game is still in the back of my mind.  If you believe that Ertz is not going to fade out of the game, he would rank near the top 5 this week.

Charles Clay - A pure matchup play with this one, and feel better about this rank after seeing him get in the endzone last week.  Tannehill has been playing well this year, but it hasn't translated to Clay so far.  Hopefully last week was an indication of him being more involved in the offense, especially this week against Jacksonville

Delanie Walker - He just hasn't performed well the past couple of weeks, and factor in that he doesn't have a good matchup this week against the Texans, and that is why he is rated this low.  Ten total points in the last three weeks in what were decent matchups.  Now he has a worse matchup, so I don't trust him to get more than 40 receiving yards.

Teams On Bye: New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers