2013 Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings: Top 20 Tight Ends

Like most positions recently, injuries have played a major role in our tight end rankings.  While Rob Gronkowski finally made his return, Jimmy Graham is banged up and no lock to play (though we are ranking him like he’s going to give it a go) and Jermichael Finley is out indefinitely.  With that in mind, let’s take a look at how things currently look:

1. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints, vs. Buffalo
2. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots, vs. Miami
3. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons, at Arizona
4. Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos, vs. Washington
5. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers, at Jacksonville
6. Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins, at Denver
7. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys, at Detroit
8. Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns, at Kansas City
9. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings, vs. Green Bay
10. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers, at Tampa Bay
11. Jeff Cumberland, New York Jets, at Cincinnati
12. Charles Clay, Miami Dolphins, at New England
13. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers, at Oakland
14. Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals, vs. New York Jets
15. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles, vs. New York Giants
16. Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions, vs. Dallas
17. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals, vs. New York Jets
18. Scott Chandler, Buffalo Bills, at New Orleans
19. Joseph Fauria, Detroit Lions, vs. Dallas
20. Zach Miller, Seattle Seahawks, at St. Louis

Thoughts:

• The Arizona Cardinals are by far the worst team at defending tight ends (44 receptions, 676 yards and eight touchdowns).  With the Falcons beat up on the outside, Tony Gonzalez should be in store for a very big day.
• It’s clear that Rob Gronkowski is going to have a big role in the Patriots’ offense, huh?  It took all of one week for him to entrench himself back as the team’s best offensive weapon, and it’s obvious that isn’t going to change.  He’s immediately returned to being a top option on a weekly basis.
• The Lions are actually tied for the second most receptions allowed to tight ends (44), yet they’ve just limited the damage to one touchdown.  Can Jason Witten buck that trend?  It’s not hard to imagine.
• Jordan Cameron does have 25 receptions for 246 yards and two touchdowns over the past four weeks, putting him among the better tight end performers.  However, there is uncertainty at quarterback in Cleveland, and he draws one of the elite defenses in the league.  He’s still a viable option, but it’s hard to argue him as one of the top choices.
• After a big performance from Joseph Fauria in Week 6, it was Brandon Pettigrew that delivered a touchdown in Week 7.  That said, he had just seven yards and hasn’t had more than 59 in a game this season.  While he is the better option, he’s still more of a TE2 despite the favorable matchup.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 8 rankings:

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