2013 Fantasy Football Week 7 Rankings: Top 20 Tight Ends

Is there any position that seemingly has random, one-week performers than tight end (Exhibit A is Joseph Fauria)?  It makes it a little bit more difficult to sort through who the dependable options are and who are simply flashes in the pan.  Complicating matters even more are injuries (Rob Gronkowski is held off the rankings due to the uncertainty) and bye weeks (Jimmy Graham).

Let’s see how it all unfolds in this week’s rankings:

1. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys, at Philadelphia
2. Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns, at Green Bay
3. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers, at Tennessee
4. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons, vs. Tampa Bay
5. Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos, at Indianapolis
6. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers, at Jacksonville
7. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers, vs. Cleveland
8. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers, vs. Baltimore
9. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers, vs. St. Louis
10. Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears, at Washington
11. Scott Chandler, Buffalo Bills, at Miami
12. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings, at New York Giants
13. Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts, vs. Denver
14. Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins, vs. Chicago
15. Jared Cook, St. Louis Rams, at Carolina
16. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles, vs. Dallas
17. Charles Clay, Miami Dolphins, vs. Buffalo
18. Jeff Cumberland, New York Jets, vs. New England
19. Zach Miller, Seattle Seahawks, at Arizona
20. Garrett Graham, Houston Texans, at Kansas City

Thoughts:

• Jordan Cameron has been targeted just 11 times over the past two weeks, but you have to think that the Browns are going to fix that.  They are going to need him to produce if they want to defeat Green Bay, who has allowed the fifth most points to apposing tight ends this season (according to nfl.com).
• We all know that the Falcons’ receiving corps is banged up, and that should mean more two tight end sets and opportunities for Tony Gonzalez.  Of course, opposing defenses will be able to focus on him more than usual, but that shouldn’t stop him.
• Vernon Davis’ ranking isn’t solely due to his explosion last week (eight catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns), though it obviously didn’t hurt.  He’s now scored in three straight games and has six touchdowns on the season.  That’s a number that is impossible to overlook.
• The “problem” for Martellus Bennett, which really is the reason he’s not a top-five option, is due to the lack of touchdowns recently.  With Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall, he just may not get enough red zone looks, limiting his potential value.
• Zach Ertz has seen his role expand in recent weeks and has a favorable matchup.  While he can’t be trusted as a TE1, he could be a good streaming option for the desperate and is definitely in the mix as a TE2.
• The Miami Dolphins are the second worst team against the tight end (behind only the Arizona Cardinals).  While the Bills’ quarterback situation is questionable, Scott Chandler is worth the gamble this week.
• Does Garrett Graham have upside?  Absolutely, but he’s hardly an ideal choice this week against Kansas City.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 7 rankings:

• Quarterbacks (Top 25)
• Running Backs (Top 40)
• Wide Receivers (Top 50)
• Defenses (Top 15)