Tier 1: Rob Gronkowski

Tier 2: Jordan Reed, Travis Kelce, Greg Olsen

Tier 3: Jimmy Graham, Delanie Walker, Zach Ertz, Tyler Eifert, Kyle Rudolph

Tier 4: Hunter Henry, Martellus Bennett, Jack Doyle, Eric Ebron, Austin Hooper

Tier 5: OJ Howard, Cameron Brate, C.J. Fiedorowicz, Antonio Gates, Jason Witten

Analysis:

The draft board for tight ends looks quite predictable, with Gronk on top, Jordan Reed leading tier 2, and Jimmy Graham leading the tier 3 group in his return to fantasy prominence. The tier 4 bunch has lots of upside as well, essentially across the board.

With the depth at tight end, and lack of significant separation in tight end scoring after the first few studs, my suggested strategy is to wait and draft your guy in the later rounds. While Gronk is a game changing player, he’s injury prone and too risky to take early – at least for my taste. The concerns with Jordan Reed mirror those of Gronk.  Let another owner expend early draft capital on those guys. There’s no rush to take your tight end, as serviceable starting options remain available into tier 4. I highlight two of my favorite values below.

Finally, quick hits on two TEs I expect will outperform their ADP, and are therefore reflected higher in my rankings: 

Jack Doyle – Andrew Luck has always relied on his tight ends, with Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen preceding Jack Doyle. Now with Allen no longer around, and Fleener long gone, Doyle gets the coveted spot as Luck’s primary tight end. With Doyle’s sure hands and Luck’s desire to feed the tight end, Doyle will post TE1 numbers.

Austin Hooper – Similar to Doyle, Austin Hooper became the primary tight end for his team this offseason, in this case with the departure of Jacob Tamme. As we saw last season, the Falcons’ run a prolific offense, with plenty of opportunities for the tight end to “get his”, even with a myriad of offensive options at Matt Ryan’s disposal. 

And two TEs who I consider to be overdrafted with respect to their ADP, and are therefore reflected lower in my rankings: 

Tyler Eifert – Throughout his career, Tyler Eifert has had a knack for finding the end zone, with 20 TDs in 37 games. That’s a great trait, especially for fantasy purposes. However, Eifert has not been able to stay healthy, having only played in 22 games the past three years. That’s enough concern for me to avoid him for how early you’ll need to draft him.

OJ Howard – OJ Howard has all-world talent, and I would not be surprised if he becomes a dominant tight end in the near future. That being said, my expectations for him are tempered for this season. The Bucs have a crowded receiving corps with Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson and Cameron Brate, Howard’s counterpart at TE. Too many folks ahead of Howard in the pecking order.