Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Kyle Smith
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF DECEMBER 29, 2011::

Week 16 had just one outstanding performance by a fantasy tight end, with Tennessee’s Jared Cook compiling 169 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions, there were plenty of good outings. Though only Cook has more than 80 receiving yards, 14 different tight ends scored a touchdown last week, and 10 players had at least eight fantasy points. Unfortunately, some of the league’s best at the position (translation: fantasy starters), had less than stellar outings – Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jason Witten and Aaron Hernandez each had four or fewer fantasy points.

However, Week 17 has all the makings of a highly productive one at the tight end position, with excellent match-ups for many of the upper-echelon players. Let’s take a look at those match-ups, and others, in our final regular-season tight end rankings of the season.

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Standard Scoring

Pass TD: 4 points |  All Other TDs: 6 points
25 Passing Yards: 1 point |  All Turnovers: -2 points

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1. Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots) vs. Buffalo

Barring an epically historic game from Jimmy Graham, Gronkowski will be the top fantasy scorer among tight ends for the season. He currently has 211 points (39 more than Graham), seven of which came last week against the Dolphins as Gronk gained 78 yards on seven catches. He didn’t score a touchdown last week, marking the second consecutive game in which he failed to score, but against the Bills this week that should change. Gronkowski had seven receptions for 109 yards and two scores in Week 3 against Buffalo, who has allowed the most touchdowns and third-most fantasy points in the league to opposing tight ends.
Point Projection: 16 points

2. Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints) vs. Carolina

Though Graham’s four catches and nine targets were second on the team last week against the Falcons, he was just fourth with 42 receiving yards (his second-lowest total of the season). But he did score a touchdown for the second straight week, and should have a great opportunity to make it three scores in three games this week against Carolina. Graham, who leads all tight ends with 91 receptions and 140 targets, had eight catches for 129 yards against the Panthers back in Week 5.
Point Projection: 15 points

3. Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys) @ New York Giants

Witten’s outing last week against the Eagles was as nondescript as the rest of his teammates – he managed only 24 yards on four receptions in his team’s loss. He’s failed to gain at least 50 receiving yards in four of his last five games, and hasn’t scored a touchdown in any of them, but even though the Giants held him to 12 yards on three catches in Week 14, Witten has a great opportunity to turn his end of the season rut into fantasy gold this week. Only five teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing tight ends than the Giants, and they’ve given up at least 14 fantasy points to tight ends in five of their last eight games, with eight touchdowns allowed during that span.
Point Projection: 14 points

4. Brent Celek (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. Washington

Celek grabbed five passes for 52 yards and scored a touchdown for the second consecutive game in Philly’s win over the Cowboys last week. He has gained at least 50 receiving yards in seven of his last nine contests and is facing the Redskins this week, who offer little in the way of opposition. Celek had 42 yards and scored a touchdown against them in Week 6, and for the season only three teams have given up more fantasy points to opposing tight ends than they have, including three touchdowns over the last three weeks.
Point Projection: 13 points

5. Antonio Gates (San Diego Chargers) @ Oakland

The fact that Gates missed a quarter of the season but will still likely end up in the top-10 at the tight end position in fantasy scoring (he’s currently seventh) tells you all you need to know about his value. That hasn’t necessarily shined through the past two weeks, as he’s managed a total of six receptions for 71 yards, but doesn’t have a difficult match-up with the Raiders. Oakland has only allowed one really big game to opposing tight ends, but they’ve been steady in allowing a decent number of points most weeks (at least six fantasy points to tight ends in eight games this season). Gates had only 54 yards on five receptions against the Raiders in Week 10, but look for him to do more this week, including his first touchdown in three games.
Point Projection: 11 points

6. Brandon Pettigrew (Detroit Lions) @ Green Bay

Pettigrew was second among tight ends in fantasy scoring last week with 14 points on 80 yards and a touchdown (nine catches). He’s amassed 20 catches for 186 yards and two scores over his last three games and literally could not have a better match-up than the one he has this week in Green Bay. Not only do the Packers have nothing to play for, but they have allowed the most fantasy points in the league to opposing tight ends. Combine that with the fact that Pettigrew has been hot of late and you have a very good option at tight end for your fantasy team this week.
Point Projection: 10 points

7. Tony Gonzalez (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Tampa Bay

Gonzalez posted 41 yards on five catches last week against the Saints, and over his last two games has accumulated just five fantasy points. He hasn’t scored since Week 11, and as bad as the Buccaneers are, he may not see as many snaps as usual if Atlanta builds a big lead early. But he’s still a worthy fantasy starter who scored a touchdown against Tampa in Week 3. The Bucs have been bad in all areas of the game for weeks, and have allowed at least seven fantasy points to tight ends in each of their last three contests.
Point Projection: 8 points

8. Jermichael Finley (Green Bay Packers) vs. Detroit

Finley only managed 20 receiving yards and three receptions last week against Chicago, but did score a touchdown and now has at least eight fantasy points in three of his last four games. It’s a risk putting him this high in our rankings because of the possibility of limited action in what amounts to a meaningless game for the Packers, but we still think he’ll see enough playing time to do enough damage to make him a worthy fantasy starter.
Point Projection: 9 points

9. Dustin Keller (New York Jets) @ Miami

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez threw the ball a whopping 59 times last week against the Giants, and 18 of those throws went to Keller. That was double the amount that any other Jets player got, but Keller could still only come up with eight catches for 77 yards. Solid numbers to be sure, but he isn’t likely to get 18 looks this week against Miami. Still, Keller has posted back-to-back games with at least 70 receiving yards, and had 51 against the Dolphins in Week 6, so the opportunity for him to have another quality game is there.
Point Projection: 7 points

10. Aaron Hernandez (New England Patriots) vs. Buffalo

Hernandez only had 36 yards on four receptions last week against Miami, and those totals represented his third-fewest receiving yards for the year and lowest fantasy point total (he scored a touchdown in the two games he had fewer yards in). He was injured during Week 3 when the Patriots and Bills first squared off, but should have a solid day this time around against one of the worst defenses in the NFL when it comes to shutting down opposing tight ends.
Point Projection: 7 points

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11. Jared Cook (Tennessee Titans) @ Houston

As we told you in the intro, Cook was the Week 16 fantasy stud among tight ends with 169 yards and one touchdown on eight receptions. He’s put together back-to-back weeks of 100+ receiving yards, and is 11th at his position in receiving yards this season, trailing Jermichael Finley by just seven yards and Kellen Winslow by 11. In fact, he has more yards this season than Vernon Davis, Owen Daniels, Brandon Pettigrew, Antonio Gates and Jermaine Gresham, just to name a few. The Texans have stout defense that has given up the fourth-fewest fantasy points in the league to tight ends, but he did score a touchdown against them in Week 7, and you simply cannot ignore how productive he’s been recently.
Point Projection: 7 points

12. Anthony Fasano (Miami Dolphins) vs. New York Jets

Fasano didn’t play last week against the Patriots due to a concussion, and though he’s officially questionable as of this writing, signs point to him suiting up this week against the Jets. He had just a single catch for 13 yards in Week 6 against New York, but that was before he became a more integral part of the offense. In the nine games he’s played since then, Fasano has had at least 55 yards or a touchdown in all but one contest.
Point Projection: 5 points

13. Jermaine Gresham (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. Baltimore

Gresham is lucky number 13 in our rankings after scoring his sixth touchdown of the season last week against the Cardinals while also posting 56 yards on five receptions. He had 48 yards on three catches the last time he faced the Ravens, and though Baltimore has given up the second-fewest fantasy points in the league to opposing tight ends, they’ve also allowed a player at that position to score three times in their last four games, so though the ceiling for Gresham remains limited, he’s a decent fill-in option for fantasy owners in need.
Point Projection: 5 points

14. Kellen Winslow (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) @ Atlanta

Winslow’s 63 yards last week were his third-highest total of the season. Unfortunately, a lost fumble cost him two fantasy points, and he failed to score a touchdown for the seventh straight game, marking another mediocre week for Winslow. The saving grace for him in Week 17 is his opponent, the Falcons. While decent overall against tight ends this season, players at that position have scored four times in their last four games, and amassed at least nine fantasy points in three of those four contests.
Point Projection: 4 points

15. Evan Moore (Cleveland Browns) vs. Pittsburgh

Only five tight ends accrued more fantasy points than Moore’s nine last week. He had 35 yards on five catches and scored his fourth touchdown of the season. Moore has had at least five fantasy points in three of his last four games, including Week 14 against the Steelers, when he had 55 yards on four catches. He’s not a great fantasy option by any means, but fantasy owners in a pinch could do worse than having Moore represent them at the tight end position.
Point Projection: 4 points

16. Vernon Davis (San Francisco 49ers) @ St. Louis

Davis led the 49ers with eight targets last week against the Seahawks, but had just four catches and compiled 54 yards. Truth be told, that’s actually a solid yardage total for him, as he’s had more in just three other games this season. Unfortunately, he may not be a big part of things this week against the Rams. Even though the Rams stink to high heaven, no team in the league has allowed fewer catches, receiving yards, touchdowns, or fantasy points to opposing tight ends.
Point Projection: 4 points