Fantasy Football 2012 Week 2 Rankings: Top 25 Tight Ends

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Tight end is generally an unpredictable position, as you never really know who is going to emerge on a week-to-week basis.  The question is, who is going to be able to maintain production all year long?

With that in mind, let’s take a look at our Week 2 rankings and see who is recommended and who is tough to trust:

1. Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots – vs. Arizona
2. Jimmy Graham – New Orleans Saints – at Carolina
3. Aaron Hernandez – New England Patriots – vs. Arizona
4. Vernon Davis – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Detroit
5. Antonio Gates – San Diego Chargers – vs. Tennessee
6. Jermichael Finley – Green Bay Packers – vs. Chicago
7. Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys – at Seattle
8. Brandon Pettigrew – Detroit Lions – at San Francisco
9. Jacob Tamme – Denver Broncos – at Atlanta
10. Tony Gonzalez – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Denver
11. Coby Fleener – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Minnesota
12. Jared Cook – Tennessee Titans – at San Diego
13. Owen Daniels – Houston Texans – at Jacksonville
14. Greg Olsen – Carolina Panthers – vs. New Orleans
15. Dennis Pitta – Baltimore Ravens – at Philadelphia
16. Martellus Bennett – New York Giants – vs. Tampa Bay
17. Brent Celek – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. Baltimore
18. Fred Davis – Washington Redskins – at St. Louis
19. Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings – at Indianapolis
20. Jermaine Gresham – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Cleveland
21. Dustin Keller – New York Jets – at Pittsburgh
22. Heath Miller – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. New York Jets
23. Marcedes Lewis – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Houston
24. Dallas Clark – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at New York Giants
25. Tony Moeaki – Kansas City Chiefs – at Buffalo

Thoughts:

• Are there enough balls to go around in New England for both Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez to be TE1?  Clearly the answer is yes.  Will Wes Welker always be fourth on the depth chart (he had five targets in Week 1)?  Of course not, but they also won’t run the ball 35 times most weeks.  Rob Gronkowski had six receptions for 60 yards and one TD (seven targets) while Aaron Hernandez had six receptions for 59 yards and one TD (six targets).  Both are top talents and will continue to get opportunities from Tom Brady.  In other words, they will likely both be Top 3 TEs in most weeks.
• We all saw what tight ends could do against the Tennessee Titans (just see the numbers from Gronkowski and Hernandez).  This week it is Antonio Gates’ turn.  While he may not be quite at that level at this point in his career, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him reach the end zone for the first time this season.
• Jason Witten is supposed to be healthy and prepared for Week 2, so we can ignore the poor performance in Week 1 (after all, he hadn’t practiced and wasn’t expected to play).  Yes, the performance of Kevin Ogletree could have an impact, but Witten should remain one of the elite tight ends in the league no matter who else is on the field.
• Fred Davis was targeted just four times in Week 1.  Obviously, unless he is targeted more, his value is not going to be there.  He’s more of a TE2 for me this week.
• Was it really surprising to see Coby Fleener and Andrew Luck on the same page, with six receptions for 82 yards in Week 1? There is no reason to think that anything is going to change.  Sure, Reggie Wayne is going to be the top target, but Fleener is definitely going to be up there as well.
• While it may not continue every week, Dennis Pitta led the Ravens in targets in Week 1 (nine targets) leading to five receptions for 73 yards and one TD.  Baltimore is clearly going to have a more up-tempo offense, so there is no reason to think Pitta won’t continue to produce.  He is a borderline TE1 in all formats.

Make sure to check out the rest of our Week 2 rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks