With the dynasty rankings, I try to hit a position each weekend. I look at the key positions (QB-RB-WR-TE), see which one has gone the longest without being addressed, and post a revised list. Today: the tight ends.
A couple of readers have asked for links to the previous installments. That’s now in place. If you look at the upper-right portion of the screen, you’ll see “PAST ISSUES”. In there, you see the dates of the other most-recent efforts. You can click on those to get at them.
With tight ends, I’ve got three guys who are all 27-28 years old in the top spots. Zach Ertz has really been cutting it up and has his quarterback in place, so I think he’s the clear No. 1. Rob Gronkowski has been really good for a lot of years, but with his history of injuries, I think it makes sense to drop him down to the No. 3. Maybe he should even be lower – these are dynasty rankings (not just 2018, but beyond). With Travis Kelce, he’ll have a new quarterback next year, but Patrick Mahomes probably will be an upgrade over Alex Smith.
Completing the top 5, I’m going with a couple of young guns. Hunter Henry and Evan Engram have both shown flashes of being great for years and years, but with both players, we don’t really know who’ll be quarterbacking those teams. Eli Manning is done in New York, and Philip Rivers isn’t far behind in Los Angeles.
The rankings here assume standard scoring, with 6 points for touchdowns and 1 for every 10 yards. These aren’t scientifically put together. I’m just taking the list of guys, looking at the ages and where they’re at right now, and moving through the list a half-dozen times, moving guys up and down a few spots until it feels right.
With these being dynasty rankings, I’ve downgraded the old guys. Jason Witten, Marcedes Lewis, Vernon Davis, Antonio Gates and Martellus Bennett aren’t even in my top 35. I’m not looking so much at 2012-16, I’m trying to focus more on 2018-2022.
Delanie Walker and Greg Olsen are really good, but with those guys being on the wrong side of 30, I’ve got them at the bottom of the top 20.
I have also conservatively ranked Jimmy Graham. He’s playing great right now, but he’s 31 and will be a free agent in another month. I have no idea where he’s playing next year (very unlikely to be in Seattle, I think).
At the same time, I have peppered the top 30 with a bunch of young guys who haven’t really done much yet. Many of these guys will be outperformed by older, lower-upside players in 2018 and 2019, but I’m making an effort to latch onto players who might turn into something special. In particular:
Jonnu Smith: Titans seem to like him. He’s been on the field for over half of their offensive plays almost every game. Delanie Walker is 33, and I think Smith will eventually move into that role (maybe in 2018).
Erik Swoope: Andrew Luck will be back next year, Swoope will be healthy, and he’s a rare, dynamic athletic. Might end up being better than Jack Doyle. He’s been on IR all year.
Gerald Everett: Rams selected him in the second round, and he’s a rare athlete. Could be a bustout/breakout type player in 2018 or 2019. Might develop into another Jordan Reed.
Adam Shaheen: Gronk-type body. Bears drafted him in the second round, and he’s flashed with a couple of plays.
Ricky Seals-Jones: He’s caught 3 TDs for Arizona in his last two games. Seems to create mismatches with his speed and size. Could be for real.
Rico Gathers: Jason Witten is running on fumes. It’s time for the Cowboys to transition to somebody new at tight end, and Gathers looked very good in the preseason. He’s on injured reserve.
Jacob Hollister: I saw him go over 100 yards in a preseason game, and there were some impressive catches in there. Patriots do some things with double tight ends, and I also don’t know how long Gronkowski will last. I will be very interested to see Hollister in the 2018 preseason.
George Kittle: Has had a solid rookie season, catching some balls for the 49ers. Could be their guy at tight end.
Nick Vannett: I don’t think Jimmy Graham will be back in Seattle next year. If we continue down that road, somebody else will probably rise up and be a viable tight end for the Seahawks. Most likely either Vannett or Luke Willson. I don’t see a huge difference between the two. Willson has been around longer. Vannett seems more likely to develop into a full-time tight end.
| DYNASTY TIGHT END RANKINGS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Tm | Player | Age |
| 1. | PHI | Zach Ertz | 27 |
| 2. | KC | Travis Kelce | 28 |
| 3. | NE | Rob Gronkowski | 28 |
| 4. | LAC | Hunter Henry | 22 |
| 5. | NYG | Evan Engram | 23 |
| 6. | IND | Jack Doyle | 27 |
| 7. | TB | O.J. Howard | 23 |
| 8. | MIN | Kyle Rudolph | 28 |
| 9. | SEA | Jimmy Graham | 31 |
| 10. | NYJ | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | 25 |
| 11. | CLE | David Njoku | 21 |
| 12. | TEN | Jonnu Smith | 22 |
| 13. | TB | Cameron Brate | 26 |
| 14. | BUF | Charles Clay | 28 |
| 15. | CIN | Tyler Eifert | 27 |
| 16. | WAS | Jordan Reed | 27 |
| 17. | IND | Erik Swoope | 25 |
| 18. | OAK | Jared Cook | 30 |
| 19. | TEN | Delanie Walker | 33 |
| 20. | CAR | Greg Olsen | 32 |
| 21. | ATL | Austin Hooper | 23 |
| 22. | LAR | Gerald Everett | 23 |
| 23. | CHI | Adam Shaheen | 24 |
| 24. | DET | Eric Ebron | 24 |
| 25. | ARI | Ricky Seals-Jones | 22 |
| 26. | DAL | Rico Gathers | 23 |
| 27. | PIT | Vance McDonald | 27 |
| 28. | NE | Jacob Hollister | 24 |
| 29. | HOU | C.J. Fiedorowicz | 26 |
| 30. | SF | George Kittle | 24 |
| 31. | NO | Coby Fleener | 29 |
| 32. | MIA | Julius Thomas | 29 |
| 33. | LAR | Tyler Higbee | 24 |
| 34. | SEA | Nick Vannett | 24 |
| 35. | CIN | Tyler Kroft | 25 |
| 36. | PIT | Jesse James | 23 |
| 37. | ARI | Jermaine Gresham | 29 |
| 38. | DAL | Jason Witten | 35 |
| 39. | DEN | Austin Traylor | 24 |
| 40. | HOU | Ryan Griffin | 28 |
| 41. | DET | Michael Roberts | 23 |
| 42. | BAL | Maxx Williams | 23 |
| 43. | CLE | Seth DeValve | 24 |
| 44. | JAC | Marcedes Lewis | 33 |
| 45. | SEA | Luke Willson | 27 |
| 46. | GB | Richard Rodgers | 25 |
| 47. | KC | Demetrius Harris | 26 |
| 48. | NE | Martellus Bennett | 30 |
| 49. | WAS | Vernon Davis | 33 |
| 50. | DEN | Jake Butt | 22 |
| 51. | BUF | Nick O’Leary | 25 |
| 52. | PHI | Trey Burton | 26 |
| 53. | NYJ | Jordan Leggette | 22 |
| 54. | NO | Josh Hill | 27 |
| 55. | GB | Lance Kendricks | 29 |
| 56. | NE | Dwayne Allen | 27 |
| 57. | HOU | Stephen Anderson | 24 |
| 58. | CAR | Ed Dickson | 30 |
| 59. | SF | Garrett Celek | 29 |
| 60. | MIN | David Morgan | 24 |
—Ian Allan