Here are the top 20 tight ends you should watch for to add to your team in your 2013 NFL Fantasy Football league season.1. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints: Graham is a heavily relied on target, which is always a great trait for a tigh end to have, since they usually aren't a top target on their team. Also, he is a very consistent player, which you usually don't get at the tight end position either. I give Graham the slight edge over Rob Gronkowski because he is very injury-prone. My only problem with Graham is I'm particularly not fond of using a top 20 pick on a tight end, but if that's how you want to build your team, then he is a good pick!
2. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots: Look, Gronkowski is a fantastic player, but his recent injury troubles just make me a little bit weary on him. He has had multiple surgeries this offseason and was only limited to 11 games last season. Just be careful and closely monitor his injuries. No one can question his ability, though.
3. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers: As we see Colin Kaepernick become better as a passer, I think he will rely more and more on Vernon Davis. I think we saw this in the playoff run last season, as Kaepernick was throwing a lot of deep balls and leaving the tight end position irrelevant. However, as the playbook changed with Kaepernick at quarterback and his evolution as a QB, it has helped Davis become his top target, especially with Michael Crabtree's recent injury.
4. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons: We all thought Gonzalez was done until he came out and said he was going to play for one more year. Well, why wouldn't he? This guy put up phenomenal stats last season with 930 yards and eight touchdowns. The only reason I think he could slightly regress is because he was a big target in the red zone last year, and I just think that this year, Steven Jackson will get most of the opportunities in that area.
5. Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots: Isn't it crazy how the Patriots have two tight ends in the top 5? This is a result of the Patriots offense being totally made for the right end position, as Tom Brady is very good at spreading the ball around. He also throws to his tight ends a lot of the time. Also, Hernandez has played in the slot, outside wide receiver and even in the backfield at times in his career, so he's an extremely flexible player. He's the type of player that Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels can utilize very well.
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6. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys: While he's not exactly a touchdown machine, Witten does get a lot of targets and does rack up the yards. He had 1,039 yards last year with 110 receptions on 150 targets. This guy is a very good tight end, and I think the elite tight ends end with Witten here.7. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans: Daniels is heavily relied on in the Texans offense due to a large amount of their passing plays coming from play-action. On top of that, Daniels is very good in the red zone. Because of this, Daniels had a very productive season last year with 716 yards and six touchdowns.
8. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers: I think Gates will have to prove something to us this season if he wants to continue to be a top 10 fantasy player. I feel like Gates' name is the reason he is still where he is, rather than his production. I'm hoping that with the new coaching staff in San Diego, Gates can return to form after a season in which he only went north of 10 fantasy points in two weeks, and ended up south of 50 receiving yards 13 times last year.
9. Dennis Pitta, Baltimore Ravens: With the loss of Anquan Boldin and a larger weight on Joe Flacco's shoulders this season after signing a huge contract, I expect Pitta to have a big year. It wouldn't surprise me if he winds up higher on this list by the end of the season. He becomes one of Flacco's top targets and a guy he will look for in the red zone in 2013.
10. Jared Cook, St. Louis Rams: Thought by many to be a breakout player last season, Cook didnt exactly fit the bill. But I do think this season he will have a pretty solid performance. I think this is going to be a big year for quarterback Sam Bradford, so I expect Cook to be one of his biggest targets in the passing game, and the No. 1 option in the red zone.
Read on to find out the next 10 best tight ends to draft!
Best of the Rest
11. Kyle Rudolph12. Heath Miller
13. Brandon Myers
14. Martellus Bennett
15. Greg Olsen
16. Dustin Keller
17. Brent Celek
18. Jermichael Finley
19. Brandon Pettigrew
20. Tyler Eifert
[tps_footer]Written by John Miceli[/tps_footer]
