One of the biggest challenges of coming up with a universal ranking of dynasty assets is that a player's value can change depending on where you are in the team-building process. That's especially true with older players. They can be league-winners for a competitive team but useless for a rebuilding franchise.
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I have to rank them somewhere in between, so before we get to the updated top 35, let's dig into the older guys at the position who remain dynasty-relevant.
Tight Ends Over 30
| 10 |
Jimmy Graham
Seattle TE
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| Coming into 2016 you could have convinced me that Jimmy Graham would never be the same player again. Then he almost was. Now Graham is 30 years old, and I could easily see him finishing as a top-five tight end again in 2017. I could also see him falling off a cliff in the next 18 months. I wouldn't overpay for Graham, but older tight ends are generally pretty cheap. | |
| 11 |
Greg Olsen
Carolina TE
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| Despite scoring just three touchdowns in 2016, I didn't really see any signs of Olsen slowing down last year. He has played 16 games for nine straight seasons, making him about as steady as they come. He's also 32 years old. Tony Gonzalez is the only tight end in the past 50 years to top 1,000 yards receiving past age 31. It would be an upset if Olsen was still a Fantasy asset in two years, but he's also my second favorite tight end in 2017. | |
| 14 |
Delanie Walker
Tennessee TE
|
| Walker, too, is 32 but turns 33 before the season. The Titans drafted their tight end of the future in Jonnu Smith and bolstered their WR corps with Corey Davis. I expect at least one more top-10 season from Walker, but the writing is on the wall. If I have Walker as my starting tight end in dynasty, I'm spending at least one rookie pick on a tight end. Hope that Walker can give you production while they struggle through their rookie season and then the two can switch roles. | |
| 15 |
Martellus Bennett
Green Bay TE
|
| Bennett just changed teams again, and I'm not sure anyone is totally sure what that means for his value. He obviously gets to play with an elite quarterback, but the Packers haven't traditionally been an offense that gives one tight end a ton of targets. That could certainly change in 2017, and if it does, I have Bennett ranked too low. More likely is that he has 2-3 years of borderline No. 1 TE production left in him. | |
| TE Dynasty Rankings | ||||||||
| Rank | Player | Team | ||||||
| 1 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | ||||||
| 2 | Travis Kelce | KC | ||||||
| 3 | Hunter Henry | LAC | ||||||
| 4 | Jordan Reed | WAS | ||||||
| 5 | Tyler Eifert | CIN | ||||||
| 6 | Zach Ertz | PHI | ||||||
| 7 | O.J. Howard | TB | ||||||
| 8 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | ||||||
| 9 | David Njoku | CLE | ||||||
| 10 | Jimmy Graham | SEA | ||||||
| 11 | Greg Olsen | CAR | ||||||
| 12 | Evan Engram | NYG | ||||||
| 13 | Eric Ebron | DET | ||||||
| 14 | Delanie Walker | TEN | ||||||
| 15 | Martellus Bennett | GB | ||||||
| 16 | Jack Doyle | IND | ||||||
| 17 | Austin Hooper | ATL | ||||||
| 18 | C.J. Fiedorowicz | HOU | ||||||
| 19 | Coby Fleener | NO | ||||||
| 20 | Adam Shaheen | CHI | ||||||
| 21 | Vance McDonald | SF | ||||||
| 22 | Tyler Higbee | LAR | ||||||
| 23 | Dwayne Allen | NE | ||||||
| 24 | Gerald Everett | LAR | ||||||
| 25 | Jake Butt | DEN | ||||||
| 26 | Julius Thomas | MIA | ||||||
| 27 | Jordan Leggett | NYJ | ||||||
| 28 | Jared Cook | OAK | ||||||
| 29 | Cameron Brate | TB | ||||||
| 30 | Erik Swoope | IND | ||||||
| 31 | Charles Clay | BUF | ||||||
| 32 | Jonnu Smith | TEN | ||||||
| 33 | Jermaine Gresham | ARI | ||||||
| 34 | Gary Barnidge | FA | ||||||
| 35 | Antonio Gates | LAC | ||||||
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