TE Rankings
- I struggled the most with where to put Rob Gronkowski in my rankings. It’s hard to imagine him not scoring a touchdown in a return to New England, and his underlying stats are excellent; fourth among tight ends in targets, second in air yards, and first in end zone targets per FantasyData with four (second place has two). But Gronk suffered a rib injury against the Rams last week, and while x-rays were negative and he is expected to play, I’m still a little worried we see a reduced Gronk role, especially if Tampa Bay grabs an early lead. You would think the Bucs would have their eyes on January, even after a loss, and take it easy on Gronk, but it’s possible they roll him out as usual if he’s healthy. He will likely rise significantly up my rankings if reports are encouraging leading up to Sunday night.
- On the other side of the field, Hunter Henry has out-snapped Jonnu Smith 75% to 56% this year, yet the target share hasn’t followed, with Smith’s 13.7% target share topping Henry’s 11.1%. That’s too big of a difference to hold this way all season, however, and Smith’s bad drop that led to an interception may open the door for Henry. The former Charger had five catches on six targets last week, and in another week where the Patriots will be unable to run the ball, I would expect Henry to get some extra volume. He’s a decent streaming option for Week 4.
- Dalton Schultz has six catches in two of three games and is out snapping Blake Jarwin 70% to 54% on the season. Last week was no different, and Schultz added two touchdowns for good measure. He’s in too good of an offense to ignore, and with Michael Gallup injured and Amari Cooper prone to disappear at times, he’s an excellent streaming option with the potential to be a year-long starter. This Cowboys offense looks very content to take what the opposing defense will give them, and Schultz is never going to draw the attention that these talented receivers and running backs will.
- Robert Tonyan is an extremely touchdown-dependent option, and thus far has just three red zone targets and zero end zone targets. That isn’t going to get it done, and while that could change at any point, I’d rather take the tight ends with a better chance at five or six catches. Tonyan’s 8.8% target share ranks 29th among all tight ends this year, you can do better.
Green=Strong Starter, Yellow=Solid Starter, Red=Look for Better Options
Week 4 TE Rankings