For the second straight season, Travis Kelce led all tight ends in receptions
Tight end may not be as a deep a position in fantasy football as wide receiver or even quarterback, but the good news is for the 2018 season is that there appear to be plenty of appealing options.
Rob Gronkowski continues to lead the way, but even that's up for debate thanks to guys like Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz. Last season, Gronk stayed relatively healthy (played in 14 games), but Kelce basically matched him statistically speaking resulting in a virtual tie in fantasy scoring. Meanwhile Ertz should remain a primary target in the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles' passing attack, regardless of who is at quarterback.
Elsewhere at the position, many will be watching to see how the Jimmy Graham-Aaron Rodgers pairing works, but just remember the buzz surrounding Martellus Bennett when he was in the same position entering last season, and how that marriage turned out. Other key tight ends catching passes from new quarterbacks in 2018 include Kelce (Patrick Mahomes), Kyle Rudolph (Kirk Cousins), Jordan Reed (Alex Smith), and Trey Burton (Mitchell Trubisky).
With so many solid options there's no reason to reach for a tight end early in fantasy drafts, as even Gronk's days as a possible first-rounder are long gone. However, you still need to make sure you are covered at the position given the tight end's ever-expanding role in today's NFL offenses. Here are some rankings to help you sort out the options.
2018 Positional Rankings: QB I RB I WR I TE I DST I K
2018 Tight End Rankings
| Rk | Player | Team | Bye |
| 1 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | 11 |
| 2 | Travis Kelce | KC | 12 |
| 3 | Zach Ertz | PHI | 9 |
| 4 | Greg Olsen | CAR | 4 |
| 5 | Evan Engram | NYG | 9 |
| 6 | Jimmy Graham | GB | 7 |
| 7 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | 10 |
| 8 | Jordan Reed | WAS | 4 |
| 9 | Delanie Walker | TEN | 8 |
| 10 | Trey Burton | CHI | 5 |
| 11 | Jack Doyle | IND | 9 |
| 12 | George Kittle | SF | 11 |
| 13 | Cameron Brate | TB | 5 |
| 14 | Benjamin Watson | NO | 6 |
| 15 | David Njoku | CLE | 11 |
| 16 | Charles Clay | BUF | 11 |
| 17 | Austin Hooper | ATL | 8 |
| 18 | O.J. Howard | TB | 5 |
| 19 | Eric Ebron | IND | 9 |
| 20 | Jared Cook | OAK | 7 |
| 21 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | JAC | 9 |
| 22 | Vance McDonald | PIT | 7 |
| 23 | Tyler Eifert | CIN | 9 |
| 24 | Ricky Seals-Jones | ARI | 9 |
| 25 | Ed Dickson | SEA | 7 |
| 26 | Gerald Everett | LAR | 12 |
| 27 | Hayden Hurst | BAL | 10 |
| 28 | Virgil Green | LAC | 8 |
| 29 | Vernon Davis | WAS | 4 |
| 30 | Ryan Griffin | HOU | 10 |
| 31 | Mike Gesicki | MIA | 11 |
| 32 | Luke Willson | DET | 6 |
| 33 | Antonio Gates | FA | |
| 34 | Stephen Anderson | HOU | 10 |
| 35 | Jake Butt | DEN | 10 |
| 36 | Dallas Goedert | PHI | 9 |
| 37 | Tyler Kroft | CIN | 9 |
| 38 | Jesse James | PIT | 7 |
| 39 | Blake Jarwin | DAL | 8 |
| 40 | Dion Sims | CHI | 5 |
| 41 | Nick Vannett | SEA | 7 |
| 42 | Jonnu Smith | TEN | 8 |
| 43 | Tyler Higbee | LAR | 12 |
| 44 | Clive Walford | NYJ | 11 |
| 45 | Mark Andrews | BAL | 10 |
| 46 | Garrett Celek | SF | 11 |
| 47 | Nick Boyle | BAL | 10 |
| 48 | Josh Hill | NO | 6 |
| 49 | Jermaine Gresham | ARI | 9 |
| 50 | Adam Shaheen | CHI | 5 |
And don’t forget to pick up your copy of Athlon Sports’ 2018 Fantasy Football magazine, available for purchase online and at newsstands everywhere.
