Fantasy Football: Ranking the 10 Best Tight Ends of 2011

The tight end position in fantasy football is one that can give many owners headaches from week to week during the season.

One week your tight end could put up stud numbers while going for 100 yards and a touchdown or two, and the next week the same guy could put up two catches for 30 yards.

Tight ends are a little frustrating to deal with at times, but let's face it—the caliber of your tight end can often determine the outcome of your fantasy season.

I have the list of the top 10 tight ends of the 2011 fantasy football season. I will be taking into account success of tight ends so far in the season, but we will also keep in mind expected results for the rest of the season.

Here's the list of tight ends you are glad to have on your team in 2011.

10. Jake Ballard (Giants)

With Kevin Boss no longer with the New York Giants for the 2011 season, Jake Ballard has gone above and beyond the call of duty to fill his role.

In his first NFL season, Ballard has seemed to earn Eli Manning's trust.

So far this season, he has gone for 395 yards and three touchdowns.

He is a guy who has not gotten the credit he deserves. In Yahoo Fantasy Football, he is still only owned in 43 percent of leagues.

He is a top 10 tight end so far, and he is owned in less than half of fantasy football leagues.

Ballard is a tight end whose stock will continue to rise, and in 2012 fantasy football drafts, he won't be so easy to get ahold of.

9. Greg Olsen (Panthers)

Greg Olsen came onto the Carolina scene in 2011 looking to make some noise after his production slipped a little in 2010 with the Chicago Bears.

Olsen only went for 404 yards and five touchdowns in 2010 with the Bears.

So far in 2011, he already has 404 yards exactly after playing nine games. He also has had four touchdowns to date this season.

Many expected that Olsen would have a much bigger impact since he's playing with a rookie quarterback. Cam Newton was expected to check down to a tight end safety net often.

However, Newton has proven he's not like most rookie quarterbacks. He heaves the ball as far down the field as he can whenever he gets the chance.

Olsen will remain a solid start at tight end in 2011 in this explosive offense.

8. Antonio Gates (Chargers)

Antonio Gates is one of the hardest tight ends to rank this year.

Obviously, when healthy, he is a top candidate for the No. 1 overall tight end in fantasy.

However, that's the key words—"when healthy." That has not been very often this season.

We can take notice that he has been productive in the games he has played even while being slowed by injury.

However, like I mentioned in the introduction, I am also taking into account the expected value of players going forward in the season. There's no way I could justify putting Gates any lower on this list.

His injuries are healing, and his production should only increase as the season goes on.

7. Vernon Davis (49ers)

Vernon Davis is an elite talent at the tight end position.

The reason he is ranked this low on the list this season is his inconsistency from a fantasy football standpoint.

Everyone remembers what Davis is capable of when looking at his 2009 season. He had 13 touchdown catches that year and more than 900 receiving yards.

He is still having an average season so far with 379 yards and four touchdowns, but his yards after catch per reception has decreased tremendously.

In 2010, he averaged 8.2 yards after the catch, while so far in 2011 he only averages 4.0 yards after the catch.

Davis continues to be a solid option for your fantasy team going forward in 2011.

6. Fred Davis (Redskins)

It's getting hard to ignore the talent that Fred Davis brings to the table for the Washington Redskins.

Surprisingly, Davis has been the most consistent and lucrative option in fantasy football of all the Redskins (I know, I know, that doesn't mean much when talking about the Redskins and fantasy.)

During the 2011 season, Chris Cooley has been hobbled by injury and lack of production. However, the emergence of Davis has made Cooley an afterthought.

At present, the game of quarterback roulette going on in Washington is hindering Davis' chance of forming consistent chemistry with his quarterback. However, he has proven he can be successful whether it is Rex Grossman or John Beck at the helm.

His big play potential at the tight end position gives defensive coordinators headaches when preparing for the Redskins, and it's a big reason he shows up at No. 6 on this list.

5. Jermichael Finley (Packers)

There was a lot of talk during 2011 fantasy football drafts that this could be the year Jermichael Finley emerges as the top producing fantasy tight end.

It was hard not to agree, knowing how talented of a player Finley is and taking note he has arguably the best quarterback in the league today throwing to him.

The caliber of quarterback he has throwing to him surprisingly both helps and hurts his fantasy outlook.

With a talent like Finley at tight end, your average NFL quarterback would most likely target him the entire game if his first option was covered.

With Aaron Rodgers, however, he will throw it all over the field, finding his third or fourth option. He will find whoever is open for the biggest gain.

Rodgers spreading the ball around so much has dampened Finley's fantasy value and consistency on a week-to-week basis.

He has already hauled in five touchdown catches, and you can feel very confident with him as your fantasy tight end.

4. Tony Gonzalez (Falcons)

I want to say that Tony Gonzalez has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2011 fantasy football season.

But really? Is it really a surprise? He is Tony Gonzalez!

I will admit, like many others I assumed that he would slow down in 2011. I could see him going for about 450 yards with four or five touchdowns while letting Roddy White and Julio Jones do all the dirty work.

Gonzalez is having none of that. He is still here, and he is still an superior talent at the tight end position.

With White's production limited and injuries to the rookie Jones, Gonzalez has picked up the pieces.

He has already gone for 487 yards and six touchdowns. He only needs six more touchdowns to hit the century mark for his career, and at this pace he has a good chance of doing that.

I would say I expect him to slow down as the season progresses and comes to an end, but I said that at the beginning of the season and am eating my words.

Roll with Gonzalez for your fantasy team if you got him until he proves us wrong!

3. Jason Witten (Cowboys)

I'm wondering if there will ever be a time when Jason Witten is not at least a top-five tight end in fantasy football.

Since the guy was drafted, he has been the definition of consistency.

Looking past his rookie season, he has never had a season with less than 754 receiving yards.

He went for over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons, and he is on pace to do that again.

He has already gone for 585 yards this season with four touchdowns.

The emergence of a run game in Dallas and an injury-plagued receiving corps will only help Witten's fantasy numbers for the rest of the season.

It's hard not to habitually rank Witten as the No. 1 tight end in all of fantasy football.

However, in 2011, the performances of our top two tight ends can't be ignored.

2. Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)

See that picture of Rob Gronkowski?

See him spiking the ball in the end zone after a touchdown?

Well, it's no surprise that he's there standing in the end zone celebrating a touchdown. He has already been there eight times this season.

Eight times! In nine games!

It's been an unbelievable season for Gronkowski so far.

He's not just a touchdown vulture, either. He's not one of those tight ends who you need a touchdown out of to even be relevant on your squad.

Along with his incredible eight touchdown receptions, he has added 709 receiving yards.

We used to think that Gronkowski would only be relevant in fantasy football when Aaron Hernandez was hurt, but in 2011, he is proving it doesn't matter who is on the field with him. Gronkowski is going to get his.

Defensive coordinators cannot figure out how to defend this guy.

Tom Brady loves throwing to his explosive tight ends, and Gronkowski owners have reaped the benefits.

1. Jimmy Graham (Saints)

Here's a list of some guys—Wes Welker, Steve Smith, Mike Wallace and Calvin Johnson.

What about those guys?

They are the only four players in the NFL who have more receiving yards than Jimmy Graham.

Graham has already gone for an incredible 873 yards in 2011 while racking up six scores along the way.

This college basketball player turned football pro is proving he has what it takes to be the best tight end in the NFL.

In only his second season, he is on pace to hit 1,396 yards in the regular season. Keep in mind that this is a tight end we are talking about on pace for almost 1,400 yards.

He has emerged as Drew Brees' favorite weapon. With all the other weapons around him, it's difficult for defensive coordinators to devise a game plan with too much focus on Graham.

Graham's explosive talent in this explosive Saints offense is a combination that makes Graham the unquestioned No. 1 option at the tight end position for the 2011 fantasy football season.