Fantasy Football 2012 Week 11 Rankings: Top 25 Tight Ends

Week 10 saw numerous tight ends post impressive numbers. Who will be this week’s surprising performer? Which struggling tight end may right the ship? How should we value top tight ends who are banged up? 

Let’s try to answer all of these questions with our Week 11 rankings:

1. Rob Gronkowki – New England Patriots – vs. Indianapolis
2. Jimmy Graham – New Orleans Saints – at Oakland
3. Antonio Gates – San Diego Chargers – at Denver
4. Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Cleveland
5. Tony Gonzalez – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Arizona
6. Heath Miller – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Baltimore
7. Owen Daniels – Houston Texans – vs. Jacksonville
8. Aaron Hernandez – New England Patriots – vs. Indianapolis
9. Brent Celek – Philadelphia Eagles – at Washington
10. Greg Olsen – Carolina Panthers – vs. Tampa Bay
11. Dustin Keller – New York Jets – at St. Louis
12. Vernon Davis – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Chicago
13. Jermaine Gresham – Cincinnati Bengals – at Kansas City
14. Brandon Myers – Oakland Raiders – vs. New Orleans
15. Dwayne Allen – Indianapolis Colts – at New England
16. Joel Dressen – Denver Broncos – vs. San Diego
17. Jermichael Finley – Green Bay Packers – at Detroit
18. Brandon Pettigrew – Detroit Lions – vs. Green Bay
19. Scott Chandler – Buffalo Bills – vs. Miami
20. Dennis Pitta – Baltimore Ravens – at Pittsburgh
21. Anthony Fasano – Miami Dolphins – at Buffalo
22. Lance Kendricks – St. Louis Rams – vs. New York Jets
23. Tony Moeaki – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Cincinnati
24. Marcedes Lewis – Jacksonville Jaguars – at Houston
25. Logan Paulson – Washington Redskins – vs. Philadelphia

Thoughts

• Antonio Gates has scored a touchdown in three of his past four games (four touchdowns total). Taking on a Broncos’ team that has been among the worst defending tight ends (including seeing Greg Olsen go for nine receptions, 102 yards and two touchdowns in Week 10), you have to think that another good day is in his future.
• With Antonio Brown likely out once again (as well as the possibility of Ben Roethlisberger missing the game), fantasy owners have to like the prospects of Heath Miller. No longer just a red zone target, Miller has emerged as one of the better tight ends in the league and should be a focal point once again.
• Will Aaron Hernandez play this week? Everyone expected him to return in Week 10, after the Patriots’ bye week, but that failed to happen. Obviously we have to believe that the Patriots are waiting for him to be 100 percent healthy, so if he is on the field we can expect big things. That said, New England has numerous other options so it is never a guarantee that Hernandez will get a ton of targets. He’s a TE1, but be cautious depending on your alternatives.
• Brent Celek has scored a touchdown in three of his past four matchups against the Redskins. Plus, Nick Foles is leading the Eagles, meaning he could be a great safety valve. He’s well worth using as a TE1, especially against a Redskins team that struggles against the pass.
• After scoring four touchdowns in his first three games, Vernon Davis has now gone five straight games without finding the end zone. Unless that changes, he’s a low-end option with unlimited potential.
• Owen Daniels has always been injury prone, so seeing him miss Week 10 is a major concern.
• We’ll include him in the rankings, but make sure to monitor the news just in case he needs an additional week to heal.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 11 rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs