When to Draft a Tight End

When should you draft a tight end in your fantasy football standard scoring league?

Lately, I have been reading and listening to lots of the experts talk draft strategy.

With TEs, everyone likes Jimmy Graham, but some favor Rob Gronkowski and expect him to regain his previous superstar form, while still other experts recommend Broncos end Julius Thomas as the one to target--that another year working with Peyton Manning, combined with his value at the overall ranking of #42 , are too appealing to pass on.

Whichever TE that you think will be best this season, one draft strategy prevails among the experts.

It is a two-pronged approach where you either:

1. Draft Graham, Gronk, or Thomas early and be happy that the other owners in your league will be taking more risks on what is left, or


2. Wait… then wait…. then wait some more… Finally grab a couple of the tight ends from the pile that is left like: Washington's Jordan Reed, Kyle Rudolph of the Vikings, or Chicago TE Martellus Bennett.

Though more risky, the latter option still has potential.

I loved watching Reed play last year. Good hands and gets open. The scare with him is injuries.

An argument can also be made for Rudolph's success in that the new Offensive Coordinator is Norv Turner--a coach whose style often features the TE.  Turner's work last season in Cleveland was very good for their end Jordan Cameron, and already considered a trustworthy receiver, Rudolph could be a regular target this year in Minnesota.

Meanwhile, Bennett performed well last year, and the Bears offense may be one of the best in the league this season.

So, if you waited to draft a TE, no worries;  just select one like the three mentioned above, and then add depth with someone like the old reliable Heath Miller of the Steelers or popular sleeper pick Colts' Dwayne Allen.

I have been mock drafting experimenting with both parts of the approach--either prioritize a TE very early or waiting until late--and have been happy with my finished roster.