Fantasy Football 2012: Top 5 Tight Ends on Waiver Wire

Over the past few seasons, tight ends have seen their roles change and increase in importance.  

Back in the day, tight ends ideally were used in the game to lay out some blocks and occasionally peel out for a quick pass.  Now, the tight end position has emerged as a major point of emphasis for offenses, due to the high-quality production that has been seen of late—especially when offenses now run two TE formations, such as the New England Patriots and New York Giants.

From Baltimore Ravens TE, Dennis Pitta, to New York Giants TE, Martellus Bennett, there are many profitable tight-ends still available on the waiver-wire. 

Now that the opening weeks of the 2012-13 NFL season have finally come, fantasy football is officially in full form.  Tight ends are going to gain a lot of fantasy points this year.  

Do not overvalue the past fact that running backs produce the most points out of any position, because now, many teams use anywhere from two to four running backs in a single game.  Tight end is the new money-maker position.  

Be sure to have two solid TE’s on your roster, because it is one of the most physically demanding positions.

With one week of fantasy football in the books, take a look at some tight ends available in many fantasy leagues that could really add some extra quality to your roster.

5. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings

Height - 6' 6'' 

Weight - 258 pounds

College - Notre Dame

Experience - Two Years

Week 1 Stats - Five receptions for 67 yards and 6.70 Yahoo Fantasy Points

Owned By (Yahoo! Fantasy) - 34%

Kyle Rudolph is now in the second season of his NFL career and looks to make his mark around the league.  

After a decent rookie season, recording 26 receptions for 249 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games played, Rudolph has quite a bit of potential. With such a big frame, Kyle could be one of the top tight ends throughout the entire league in the near future, if he continues to work hard and strive for improvement daily.

If Christian Ponder can make some fast adjustments this season, then the Vikings can be a scary team to go up against.

Kyle Rudolph's fantasy success depends solely on the Minnesota offensive line, along with the progressions of quarterback Christian Ponder.

4. Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts

Height - 6’6’’ 

Weight - 252 pounds 

College - Stanford 

Experience - Rookie

Week 1 Stats - Six receptions for 82 yards and 8.20 Yahoo! Fantasy Points

Owned By (Yahoo! Fantasy) - 51%

Coby Fleener was a standout tight end at the collegiate level and did a superb job for Stanford alongside Andrew Luck.  

With the brilliant strategy of drafting both QB Andrew Luck and TE Fleener, offensive chemistry was there right from the start, which is almost impossible to find with a rookie quarterback and his receivers.  

With Fleener as Andrew Luck’s prime target at Stanford, it is no surprise that the two have already connected in the first game of the NFL regular season for some productive plays.  

There are a ton of productive tight ends around the NFL.

However, Fleener is rookie and his future productivity is unknown.  He has tremendous upside and is playing with the college quarterback he was alongside for his entire collegiate career.  

I expect big things out of Fleener this year, and he could be the answer to your tight-end worries.

3. Scott Chandler, Buffalo Bills

Height - 6'7''

Weight - 260 pounds

College - Iowa

Experience - Five Years

Week 1 Stats - Four Receptions for 38 Yards, One Touchdown and 9.80 Yahoo! Fantasy Points

Owned by (Yahoo! Fantasy) - 5%

Scott Chandler is one of the largest tight ends in the NFL and looks to have another productive season, after making a name for himself in Buffalo last year—recording 38 receptions for 389 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games played.

Now in his third year under quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, this is Chandler's breakout season.

With the chemistry and familiarity gained over the past few seasons, you can expect Fitzpatrick to target Chandler more and more as the season progresses.

2. Martellus Bennett, New York Giants

Height - 6'6''

Weight - 265 pounds

College - Texas A&M

Experience - Five Years

Week 1 Stats - Four Receptions for 40 yards, one touchdown and 10.00 Fantasy Points

Owned by (Yahoo! Fantasy) - 29%

Martellus Bennett was easily one of Big Blue's most valuable acquisitions this offseason.

In his first game as a Giant, Bennett added some much needed offensive production on an evening New York just simply wasn't running on all cylinders.

As the season continues, Eli will locate Bennett much more often, due to his superb catching abilities and seemingly flawless route-running.  

The G-Men might have gotten off to a rough start, but it's nothing they aren't use to already.  They've come back from losing their first two regular season games in the past and ended up winning the Super Bowl that very year.  

The New York Giants will turn around their season very quickly, and Martellus Bennett will have one hell of a season.  Guaranteed.

1. Dennis Pitta, Baltimore Ravens

Height - 6'4''

Weight - 245 pounds

College - BYU

Experience - Three Years

Week 1 Stats - Five receptions for 73 yards, one touchdown, and 13.30 Yahoo! Fantasy Points

Owned by (Yahoo! Fantasy) - 16%

In the first season, where he was called on to make some big plays, Pitta came through showing flashes of brilliance.  In only his second year in the NFL, Pitta helped to fuel the Baltimore offense in the most important moments of the game.  

Now, with more familiarity of the NFL and how exactly the professional level works, Pitta's third season should be his most efficient one.  

With some tough games ahead on the schedule, such as Philadelphia and New England, you can expect Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco to use Pitta as a safety net continuously throughout each contest.