Welcome back to the “Must Start” club, Jimmy Graham. We missed you. Graham’s time in Seattle got off to a rocky start. However, in year three he is staying healthy (relatively) and is on pace for his first double-digit touchdown season since 2014, his last in New Orleans. He took a couple seasons “off,” but he is back as one of the four tight ends you can play in any matchup.
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Week 12 was a return to normalcy, or at least what passes for normalcy for tight ends in fantasy football. Zach Ertz and Rob Gronkowski led the way with Ertz hauling in 10 receptions. Ricky Seals-Jones popped back up with a solid game. Jack Doyle and Delanie Walker had a great duel that ended with Walker finding the end zone. Neither is as dependable as Graham, Ertz, Gronk, or Kelce, but you can feel safe you will get at least a few receptions from them each week.
Greg Olsen’s return was anticlimactic. The veteran was pulled early after aggravating his foot injury. Early reports suggest he dodged a major setback and hopefully he gives us a full game before the fantasy playoffs get started. Other disappointments included Vernon Davis making me cry on Thanksgiving night with a whopping score of 0. Jordan Reed sounds unlikely to play Thursday night, but it will be hard to trust Davis as a replacement given the goose egg and the fact he hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 3.
Week 13 is a make-or-break week for many teams. If you find yourself in position to stream the tight end position, it’s time to give our old friend Jared Cook a call. Sure, he just caught one ball against the Denver Broncos, but he has flashed potential this season and the New York Giants stopped covering the tight end several weeks ago. Hunter Henry has been just as frustrating as Cook, but the Los Angeles Chargers are hot and Henry did finish as TE4 in Week 12. Marcedes Lewis could give you another touchdown against the Colts who couldn’t keep Delanie Walker from making plays last week. The super desperate should give Benjamin Watson a look. The Baltimore Ravens aren’t a great offense, but there should be enough targets available to give Watson some value.
Did I miss a tight end you are interested in? Have lineup questions for Week 13? Take a look at our Week 13 rankings and leave a comment!
Tight end rankings, Week 13
(SK: Scott Kaliska; JG: Jeff Goldberg; DG: Derek Gordon; KB: Kyle Bennett; ZS: Zach Senvisky; JM: Jason Marcum)
TE rankings, Week 13
Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp | SK | JG | DG | KB | ZS | JM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | @ BUF | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Zach Ertz | PHI | @ SEA | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Travis Kelce | KC | @ NYJ | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | Jimmy Graham | SEA | vs. PHI | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | Evan Engram | NYG | @ OAK | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| 6 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | @ ATL | 11 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | Charles Clay | BUF | vs. NE | 12 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 8 |
| 8 | Jason Witten | DAL | vs. WAS | 13 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 9 |
| 9 | Jack Doyle | IND | @ JAC | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 10 |
| 10 | Jared Cook | OAK | vs. NYG | 5 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 13 |
| 11 | Delanie Walker | TEN | vs. HOU | 6 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 12 |
| 12 | Hunter Henry | LAC | vs. CLE | 8 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 18 | 7 |
| 13 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | NYJ | vs. KC | 14 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 |
| 14 | Vernon Davis | WAS | @ DAL | 10 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 15 |
| 15 | Tyler Kroft | CIN | vs. PIT | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
| 16 | Greg Olsen | CAR | @ NO | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 16 |
| 17 | Eric Ebron | DET | @ BAL | 22 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 |
| 18 | Julius Thomas | MIA | vs. DEN | 16 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
| 19 | C.J. Fiedorowicz | HOU | @ TEN | 25 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 17 |
| 20 | Coby Fleener | NO | vs. CAR | -- | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 21 | O.J. Howard | TB | @ GB | 19 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 24 |
| 22 | George Kittle | SF | @ CHI | -- | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 21 |
| 23 | Austin Hooper | ATL | vs. MIN | 21 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 23 |
| 24 | Benjamin Watson | BAL | vs. DET | 20 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 25 |
| 25 | Jesse James | PIT | @ CIN | -- | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 22 |
| -- | Ricky Seals-Jones | ARI | vs. LAR | 18 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Cameron Brate | TB | @ GB | 23 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Marcedes Lewis | JAC | vs. IND | 24 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
