Week 2 Tight End Rankings - Standard Leagues

Week 1 was a bust for tight end production. Three of the top twelve tight ends in Week 1 only caught one pass (for a touchdown). The 12th-best tight end, Brandon Myers, caught a single four-yard touchdown pass. The top tight end of the week was the 1% owned Jack Doyle, who only caught three balls for 35 yards but had two touchdowns.This position is truly a crapshoot, man.

If Gronk plays in Week 2, he is in my elite tier. Given the state of the position and knowing how much touchdowns contribute to TE1 production, there is no way I can leave Gronk out of the elite tier. He can just be a red zone package guy and still score multiple times.

I do not know what a "displaced rib" is, but I know Zach Ertz is considered week-to-week. He is not officially ruled out for the Monday Night game, but at this point it would be a surprise if he did play. Brent Celek is a viable TE2 in Ertz's absence.

C.J. Uzomah, an early offseason MFL favorite, is already relevant in the early stages of the season as the starting tight end for Cincinnati. He's another TE2 play for me, but this divisional battle against the Bengals should have plenty of fireworks, so he is a viable option.

Jason Witten was targeted 14 times against the Giants in the season-opener, and caught nine balls for 66 yards. This week the Saints travel to New York to take on Big Blue, giving Coby Fleener yet another exploitable matchup. I drank the kool-aid last week and had Fleener on a lot of my GPP teams. I will probably still have some shares this week, but I would not be excited about trusting Fleener in a season-long format. I'd make him prove to me is he going to be more involved, first--so his ranking will reflect that.

Lastly, Delanie Walker has a prime matchup this week and Mike Mularkey is already talking about getting him more involved in the offense. The Detroit Lions allowed three touchdowns to Colts tight ends in Week 1, and I am drinking the Delanie kool-aid this week.

1. Delanie Walker

2. Jordan Reed

3. Julius Thomas

4. Rob Gronkowski

5. Greg Olsen

The guy formerly known as "Orange Julius" caught all five of his targets and a score in Week 1. His usage in the red zone is enough to have him in this elite tier. Look for Thomas to continue to eat into the production of Allen Hurns this season.

6. Antonio Gates

7. Gary Barnidge

8. Travis Kelce

9. Eric Ebron

10. Jason Witten

11. Dwayne Allen

12. Coby Fleener

Barnidge was a weekly Top 10 option with Josh McCown at the helm last season. Even in a tough matchup, I like McCown and Barnidge to find a way to rekindle the magic this weekend.

Kelce has a brutal matchup, as the Chicago Bears tight ends found out last week...but his volume gives him a safe enough floor. Witten is in play as a TE1 on volume alone, though he offers little upside week-to-week. Allen also has a tough matchup but could definitely find the end zone.

13. Jesse James

14. Clive Walford

15. Virgil Green

16. Brent Celek

17. Kyle Rudolph

This is about the end of respectability as far as I am concerned this week. But we'll dig a little deeper.

18. Dennis Pitta

19. Martellus Bennett

20. Zach Miller

21. Vance McDonald

22. Jared Cook

23. Austin Seferian-Jenkins

24. Will Tye

25. Jacob Tamme

26. C.J. Uzomah

27. Charles Clay

28. Trey Burton

29. Jordan Cameron

30. Jimmy Graham