by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

We all know that tight end is one of the more frustrating positions to fill and Week 1 was no different.  In fact it may have been among the most frustrating, as we saw many of the expected top performers fall completely flat.  Of course that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t expect them to bounce back, though in some cases the outlook could be a little bit cloudy.  Now that the dust has settled how does our Week 2 rankings look?  Let’s get to it:

1. Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots – at New Orleans
2. Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Philadelphia
3. Zach Ertz – Philadelphia Eagles – at Kansas City
4. Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings – at Pittsburgh
5. Jordan Reed – Washington Redskins – at Los Angeles Rams
6. Greg Olsen – Carolina Panthers – vs. Buffalo
7. Jimmy Graham – Seattle Seahawks – vs. San Francisco
8. Martellus Bennett – Green Bay Packers – at Atlanta
9. Delanie Walker – Tennessee Titans – at Jacksonville
10. Eric Ebron – Detroit Lions – at New York Giants
11. Tyler Eifert – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Houston
12. Jared Cook – Oakland Raiders – vs. New York Jets
13. Hunter Henry – Los Angeles Chargers – vs. Miami
14. Coby Fleener – New Orleans Saints – vs. New England
15. Charles Clay – Buffalo Bills – at Carolina
16. Cameron Brate – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. Chicago
17. Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys – at Denver
18. Jack Doyle – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Arizona
19. Austin Hooper – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Green Bay
20. Evan Engram – New York Giants – vs. Detroit

Thoughts:

• There has long been hype surrounding Zack Ertz and the thought was that with the trade of Jordan Matthews he’d finally get the opportunity to display it.  That appeared to be the case in Week 1, as he delivered 8 receptions for 93 yards and was among the most targeted TE in the league (8 targets, one behind the leaders for the week).  There’s little reason to think that it won’t continue, so consider him a Top 5 option at this point.
• The New York Giants have a strong secondary and defensive line, but the line backing corps is a bit questionable.  The Dallas Cowboys took advantage, with their tight ends amassing 7 catches, 59 yards and 1 TD against them (led by Jason Witten).  Look for the Lions to take a similar approach with Eric Ebron, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him find the end zone.  Consider him a low-end TE1.
• Jordan Reed had a strong Week 1 performance, but he’s going to continue to battle a toe injury that could limit him.  It does add a little bit of risk, and given the uncertainty of the position he needs to drop a few spots.
• It was a disappointing Week 1 for Greg Olsen, who turned in 2 receptions for 18 yards.  Obviously he should improve as the season goes on, but with expectations high for Kelvin Benjamin and the addition of Christian McCaffrey his opportunities could be limited.  Olsen remains one of the better options, but he may not be quite as good as we’d have hoped.
• Jared Cook had a solid Week 1 performance (5 receptions for 56 yards) and now draws the hideous Jets defense (who allowed 5 catches, 75 yards and 1 TD to opposing TE themselves).  While he’s not a great option, Cook should be viewed as a low-end TE1 in all formats.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 2 rankings: