The days of taking Rob Gronkowski with a first-round pick are gone, but so are the days of waiting for a decent tight end. Last year we had five guys notch 800-plus yards and another six record seven or more touchdowns. None of them were named Gronk.
As more NFL teams expand their game-planning to include tight ends as key targets, their statistics rise and interest in them in Fantasy drafts grows.
Gronkowski is still in a tier of his own, but the gap is narrowing. Travis Kelce assumes the No. 2 spot with Jordan Reed, Jimmy Graham and Greg Olsen following. Once you get into Round 6 you'll still find big guys with high-stat potential, but they'll go pretty quick. There's nothing wrong with waiting until the double-digit rounds, but you better be cool with Martellus Bennett or Jack Doyle.
Remember, if you can't find the next Gronk, just find a guy who has the chance to score from week to week. If you can't find that guy at tight end then you better get ready to play waiver-wire roulette throughout the season (Hooper, Thomas and James have good Week 1 matchups).
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