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2016 Fantasy Football Positional Rankings: Tight Ends - Standard Leagues

Heath gives you his standard tight end rankings for 2016. FOOTBALL IS COMING.

By Heath Capps
David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday I offered a recap of the 2015 tight end position, complete with which teams were just plain bad at defending tight ends last season. I also discussed some of last year’s popular streamers. You can check that out here.

Today you will get my first stab at tight end rankings for standard leagues. I will also offer tight end rankings for each week of the NFL season, all the way through Week 17...since some people are still crazy enough to hold championships during that week.

I tried to fit a short sentence beside each guy. It felt a lot like being relegated to 140 characters on Twitter, but I did my best. After you read these, please let me know what jumps out at you as too high, too low, too safe, etc. I enjoy having dialogue, as it makes us all better gamers.

RANK PLAYER NAME TEAM NOTES
1 Rob Gronkowski NE The Undisputed.
2 Jordan Reed WAS The concussions are worrisome but his talent is undeniable.
3 Greg Olsen CAR Look up "floor pick" in Webster's and you should see Olsen's face.
4 Tyler Eifert CIN Was the TE6 in '15 despite missing 3 games. No Sanu/Jones = more targets.
5 Travis Kelce KC His usage (or lack thereof) is maddening. But I can't rank this talent any lower.
6 Delanie Walker TEN Greg Olsen lite. Will still be Marcus Mariota's most trusted target.
7 Zach Ertz PHI He has improved steadily and more red zone usage can push him up to this rank.
8 Coby Fleener NO A superior athlete to Ben Watson. Michael Thomas hurts his market share, though.
9 Gary Barnidge CLE Josh Gordon's return hurts a little. But his age-30 breakout in '15 was legitimate.
10 Antonio Gates SD A Hall-of-Fame tight end with a very good QB on a team that will throw a ton.
11 Ladarius Green PIT At best he is the third target in this offense. Currently hurt, too. Inconsistent guy.
12 Julius Thomas JAC If he makes you money, it will be in the end zone. Legitimate TE1 if he can stay healthy.
13 Dwayne Allen IND Nearly the same as Julius. Talent and scoring upside, just often-injured.
14 Eric Ebron DET Was quietly the TE13 last season. But Julius/Fleener entered my Top 12 instead.
15 Zach Miller CHI Came on strong last year as the TE16. Injuries are his largest obstacle.
16 Jimmy Graham SEA I think he will be a starting-caliber TE but I do not expect the health to last.
17 Martellus Bennett NE A lot of mouths for Brady to feed and four games of Garropolo are obstacles.
18 Jason Witten DAL He is more attractive in PPR formats. Dez will dominate the red zone looks.
19 Will Tye NYG Should be Eli's #3 target. Was the TE24 last season. More market share in '15.
20 Charles Clay BUF Battled injuries last season. Could be Tyrod's #2 target. But a run-first team.
21 Austin Seferian-Jenkins TB Currently listed as the #2 tight end for TB behind Brate. Has upside, though.
22 Jared Cook GB On touchdowns alone he could exceed this ranking. Wed to Aaron Rodgers.
23 Clive Walford OAK Could be the #3 target after Cooper and Crabtree.
24 Benjamin Watson BAL They didn't pay him $4 million per year to ride the pine. Still has upside.
25 Kyle Rudolph MIN Touchdowns are your hope. But a very conservative offense = little upside.
26 Vance McDonald SF The early reports have not been glowing. Fine to stream in good matchups.
27 Jordan Cameron MIA Miami brass already want to see him playing better in camp. No thanks.
28 Jace Amaro NYJ The Jets desperately need him to emerge alongside Marshall and Decker.
29 Cameron Brate TB They like his blocking ability. I expect he'll annoy ASJ owners this season.
30 Jacob Tamme ATL I don't think he's done just yet. Could easily outperform this ranking.

I welcome any thoughts, disagreements, well-wishes, statistics, and/or sleeper picks that you kind folks have to offer. Let's have some dialogue, ladies and gents. FOOTBALL IS COMING.