If the madness of Week 4 taught us anything, it should have been to start your studs. Period. The tight end position remains as volatile as ever beyond the top three, which is exactly why Rob Gronkowski (four catches for 101 yards), Greg Olsen (eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns) and Travis Kelce (six catches for 80 yards and a dropped touchdown) continue to be must-start options. As for Tyler Eifert, well, you saw what happens when considering taking him over those three. (But hey, at least Jimmy Graham proved he could be relevant, right?)
Fantasy football rankings, Week 4: Tight ends
Rob Gronkowski and Delanie Walker are the first to hit their bye weeks, leaving numerous owners scrambling to play the next man up. Our Week 4 tight end fantasy football rankings are here to help you decide who that man is.
And now, the start of bye weeks leaves even fewer options to place in your lineup. Gronkowski and Delanie Walker, for instance, are both unavailable for their owners on Sunday. In their absences, the waiver wire should hold one of Eric Ebron, Charles Clay or even Owen Daniels to choose from. If you’re desperate, however, and stuck sifting through the barren ruins in deeper leagues, it appears Crockett Gillmore will miss the Baltimore Ravens Thursday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That leaves only Maxx Williams to take his place.
Notice how I didn’t mention Gary Barnidge? That’s because he no longer gets to play the Oakland Raiders and is forced to pass the torch to the next candidate that would like to set a career-high in receiving. For this week, that would be Martellus Bennett. But do you trust Jimmy Clausen? That and more wait for you this week. It’s just about as exciting as it sounds.
Tight end rankings, Week 4
(DK: Daniel Kelley; DC: Dan Ciarrocchi; AM: Andrew Miller; JD: John Daigle; SK: Scott Kaliska)
| Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp. | DK | DC | AM | JD | SK |
| 1 | Greg Olsen | CAR | @TB | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Jimmy Graham | SEA | DET | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 2 | Travis Kelce | KC | @CIN | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Martellus Bennett | CHI | OAK | 4 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 4 |
| 5 | Jordan Reed | WAS | PHI | 9 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| 6 | Tyler Eifert | CIN | KC | 7 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| 7 | Jason Witten | DAL | @NO | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | Charles Clay | BUF | NYG | 5 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 8 |
| 9 | Jordan Cameron | MIA | NYJ | 10 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 9 |
| 10 | Eric Ebron | DET | @SEA | 8 | 12 | 15 | 9 | 11 |
| 11 | Coby Fleener | IND | JAC | 11 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 13 |
| 12 | Heath Miller | PIT | BAL | 18 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 12 |
| 13 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | @DEN | 19 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 10 |
| 14 | Jared Cook | STL | @ARI | 20 | 15 | 17 | 10 | 15 |
| 14 | Larry Donnell | NYG | @BUF | 12 | 16 | 12 | 19 | 18 |
| 16 | Owen Daniels | DEN | MIN | 13 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 17 |
| 17 | Zach Ertz | PHI | @WAS | 14 | 14 | 21 | 18 | 14 |
| 18 | Vernon Davis | SF | GB | 16 | 19 | 18 | 13 | 19 |
| 19 | Ladarius Green** | SD | @CLE | -- | 20 | 7 | 22 | 16 |
| 20 | Richard Rodgers | GB | @SF | 21 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 20 |
| 21 | Maxx Williams | BAL | @PIT | 15 | 24 | 20 | 17 | 22 |
| 22 | Gary Barnidge | CLE | @SD | -- | 22 | -- | 21 | 21 |
| 22 | Gavin Escobar | DAL | @NO | 23 | 21 | 23 | 23 | -- |
| 24 | Clay Harbor | JAC | @IND | 17 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 24 | Darren Fells | ARI | STL | 25 | 23 | 22 | 25 | -- |
| -- | Benjamin Watson | NO | DAL | -- | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 |
| -- | Jacob Tamme | ATL | HOU | 22 | -- | -- | -- | 25 |
| -- | Dwayne Allen** | IND | JAC | -- | -- | 24 | -- | 23 |
| -- | Garrett Graham | HOU | @ATL | 24 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
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SB Nation presents: Who to start and sit on your fantasy team in Week 4
