Top 25 Fantasy Football Tight Ends for 2017

Regardless of what anyone tells you, there is no such thing as a fantasy football expert. Sure, some writers and analysts tend to provide consistent projections each year but even the best of them still ends up striking out 30-40% of the time. Even the so-called experts will tell you themselves that they are not experts, rather they are better at preparing for fantasy football matchups than most others.

So even though you understand that you should take in all rankings and projections with a grain of salt, there are still some words of advice that can help you get an edge over the rest of your league this season. And it starts at the one position that gets overlooked and underutilized each year, the Tight End.

A Tight End in fantasy is hit or miss because there isn’t enough offenses around the league that utilize TEs in their passing game as much as they use Wide Receivers. So the pool of useful Tight Ends ends up getting tougher and tougher each time one of the top ranked TEs come off the board. For example, once Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce, and Jordan Reed come off the board, what is left?

This is where the drafting of a fantasy football Tight End becomes even more important than anything else. Unless you are in a custom league that does not play Tight Ends, you are going to need one each weekend that will have to provide you some kind of production. So knowing the field, understanding the offenses, and looking at relationships between QBs and TEs becomes that much more important.

Don’t let anyone tell you that the TE position is not important. It is the most important position in your lineup and will be all season long, because it will provide you an edge over your opponent on a weekly basis. Last season, Hunter Henry, Cameron Brate, Delanie Walker, and Jack Doyle came out of virtually nowhere to help many owners get into the playoffs in their leagues.

The value of a TE drafted in the later rounds that winds up giving your team 8-10 points per weekend is tremendously useful and should be considered a useful strategy when drafting Tight Ends this year.

We have built a list of 25 Tight Ends worth drafting this season that will help your fantasy team out, and possibly propel your team into the playoffs, or further. Enjoy.

25) Evan Engram, New York Giants

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 134
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 21
  • Bye Week: 8
  • Projected Points: 121.5
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 50
    • Receiving Yards: 475
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 4

24) Zach Miller, Chicago Bears

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 214
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 6
  • Bye Week: 9
  • Projected Points: 122
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 54
    • Receiving Yards: 500
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 3

23) David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 119
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 12
  • Bye Week: 9
  • Projected Points: 124
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 48
    • Receiving Yards: 580
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 3

22) Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 180
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 3
  • Bye Week: 6
  • Projected Points: 126
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 43
    • Receiving Yards: 590
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 4

21) Antonio Gates, Los Angeles Chargers

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 182
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 7
  • Bye Week: 9
  • Projected Points: 131.5
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 43
    • Receiving Yards: 525
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 6

20) Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 127
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 20
  • Bye Week: 5
  • Projected Points: 135.5
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 40
    • Receiving Yards: 475
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 8

19) Julius Thomas, Miami Dolphins

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 144
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 31
  • Bye Week: 11
  • Projected Points: 139.5
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 50
    • Receiving Yards: 475
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 7

18) O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Bucs

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 104
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 14
  • Bye Week: 11
  • Projected Points: 141
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 52
    • Receiving Yards: 650
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 4

17) C.J. Fiedorowicz, Houston Texans

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 153
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 24
  • Bye Week: 7
  • Projected Points: 142.5
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 55
    • Receiving Yards: 575
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 5

16) Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Bucs

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 158
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 14
  • Bye Week: 11
  • Projected Points: 145
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 56
    • Receiving Yards: 650
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 4

15) Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 150
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 27
  • Bye Week: 6
  • Projected Points: 153
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 65
    • Receiving Yards: 700
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 3

14) Coby Fleener, New Orleans Saints

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 134
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 11
  • Bye Week: 5
  • Projected Points:161
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 60
    • Receiving Yards: 650
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 6

13) Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 78
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 7
  • Bye Week: 9
  • Projected Points: 161.5
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 52
    • Receiving Yards: 675
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 7

12) Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 108
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 30
  • Bye Week: 11
  • Projected Points: 167
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 60
    • Receiving Yards: 650
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 7

11) Martellus Bennett, Green Bay Packers

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 91
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 4
  • Bye Week: 8
  • Projected Points: 167.5
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 58
    • Receiving Yards: 675
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 7

10) Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 95
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 19
  • Bye Week: 7
  • Projected Points: 169.5
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 67
    • Receiving Yards: 725
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 5

9) Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 65
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 16
  • Bye Week: 6
  • Projected Points: 174
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 60
    • Receiving Yards: 600
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 9

8) Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 89
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 9
  • Bye Week: 10
  • Projected Points: 176
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 78
    • Receiving Yards: 800
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 3

7) Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 91
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 23
  • Bye Week: 8
  • Projected Points: 180
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 64
    • Receiving Yards: 800
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 6

6) Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 63
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 28
  • Bye Week: 6
  • Projected Points: 184
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 70
    • Receiving Yards: 900
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 4

5) Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 79
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 2
  • Bye Week: 9
  • Projected Points: 185
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 70
    • Receiving Yards: 850
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 5

4) Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 50
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 22
  • Bye Week: 11
  • Projected Points: 206
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 75
    • Receiving Yards: 950
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 6

3) Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 27
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 13
  • Bye Week: 10
  • Projected Points: 210
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 80
    • Receiving Yards: 1,000
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 5

2) Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 37
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 29
  • Bye Week: 5
  • Projected Points: 218
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 85
    • Receiving Yards: 850
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 8

1) Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

  • Average Draft Position (ADP): 20
  • Strength of Schedule (SOS): 17
  • Bye Week: 9
  • Projected Points: 220.5
  • Projections
    • Receptions: 70
    • Receiving Yards: 1,025
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 8