Note – These rankings assume Rob Gronkowski will be out
Tier 1 – #1 Scoring TE Upside
1. Jordan Reed (WAS) vs. DAL
2. Greg Olsen (CAR) vs. SF
3. Delanie Walker (TEN) @ DET
Tier 2 – TE1 Options
4. Julius Thomas (JAC) @ SD
5. Gary Barnidge (CLE) vs. BAL – I know Barnidge delivered a disgraceful, disgusting, completely rotten goose egg in Week 1, but Josh McCown’s return to the lineup should immediately revive his fantasy value– Barndige averaged 5.8 catches, 80 yards, and .75 TDs with McCown as his QB. If Barnidge struggles even with his boy back, the panic button is appropriate, but I’m willing to saddle back up for another week.
6. Eric Ebron (Det) vs. TEN
7. Travis Kelce (KC) @ HOU
8. Antonio Gates (SD) vs. JAC
9. Jason Witten (DAL) @ WAS
Tier 3 – TE2s worth desperation ganders
10. Dwayne Allen (IND) @ DEN
11. Coby Fleener (NO) @ NYG – Theoretically he should come with oodles of upside in a projected shootout, but Brees clearly doesn’t trust him, so nor do I. Ideally you have someone above and can wait & see another week on Fleener, but the upside is so high that I’m not benching him for a Clive Walford or Vance McDonald dump pile.
12. Martellus Bennett (NE) vs. MIA – I swung and missed hard on Bennett in Week 1; despite acknowledging the hulking TE may be asked to block more in the absence of both tackles, I felt we’d get the opposite and the Black Unicorn would catch numerous dump offs. Dead Wrong.
If Solder returns, Bennett might see added time split out; plus, standing at a hulking 6’7″, the monster is always a threat for a TD. Still, Martellus is going to need others around him to return before he is truly trustable
13. Kyle Rudolph (MIN) vs. GB
14. Jared Cook (GB) @ MIN
15. Vance McDonald (SF) @ Car
16. Virgil Green (DEN) vs. IND
Tier 4 – Remaining Names
17. Jesse James (PIT) vs. CIN
18. Zach Miller (CHI) vs. PHI
19. Brent Celek (PHI) @ CHI – Assuming Ertz sits, Celek would make an interesting dart throw plug n play / tournament DFS option
20. Clive Walford (OAK) vs. ATL
21. Jacob Tamme (ATL) @ OAK
25. Larry Donnell (NYG) vs. NO
26. Wille Tye (NYG) vs. NO – One of these two will likely score a TD against the hapless Saints, but neither has separated yet.
22. Dennis Pitta (BAL) @ CLE
23. Charles Clay (BUF) vs. NYJ
24. Jimmy Graham (SEA) @ LA
