Fantasy football rankings, Week 1: Tight ends

Peyton Manning is the consensus No. 1 quarterback for the season to come, but if you wanted to argue for Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers, you could make the point without being crazy. The same goes for Calvin Johnson at wide receiver, where Demaryius Thomas has an argument for the top. Jamaal Charles, Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy and even Matt Forte could go No. 1 at running back.

At tight end, though, no one had any real debate for the top spot in the season rankings. It was Jimmy Graham, and everyone agreed. He was the most talented tight end by a little, but the most reliable one by a lot, and that made the difference.

On a weekly basis, though, the argument can be more interesting. Because the argument against Julius Thomas and (primarily) Rob Gronkowski on a season-long basis is injuries. In your fantasy draft, you couldn't reasonably draft Gronkowski with any real expectation of him playing 16 games. Graham gets banged up occasionally, but Gronkowski gets banged up as a matter of course.

Jimmy Graham (Consensus Rank: No. 1) - Yes, after all the above, Graham still came in No. 1 in our consensus ranks, and he was unanimous among the individual rankers as well. The above point was more a general season thought. Anyway, Graham, off a legendary season, gets to start his 2014 against an Atlanta Falcons team that does not boast a strong defense. Enjoy that.

Jordan Reed (Consensus Rank: No. 7) - From that injury perspective, Reed is sort of the poor man's Gronkowski; he was great last year when he was on the field, but persistent concussion issues limited his play. But again, as long as he plays, there's no reason not to capitalize.

Antonio Gates and Ladarius Green (Consensus Ranks: Gates No. 12, Green No. 15) - The two Chargers tight ends are both fantasy-relevant, if not fantasy powerhouses. Gates is on his way out, career-wise, while Green is on the opposite end. But either could have strong seasons, and if all goes well for the Chargers, both could.