Let’s continue our rankings tour with a look at the top tight ends for Week 5.  Where does the struggling Antonio Gates fit in?  How about touchdown machines like Heath Miller or Scott Chandler?  Is it safe to expect a rebound for Dennis Pitta?  Let’s take a look:

1. Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots – vs. Denver
2. Tony Gonzalez – Atlanta Falcons – at Washington
3. Jimmy Graham – New Orleans Saints – vs. San Diego
4. Vernon Davis – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Buffalo
5. Jermichael Finley – Green Bay Packers – at Indianapolis
6. Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Tennessee
7. Martellus Bennett – New York Giants – vs. Cleveland
8. Greg Olsen – Carolina Panthers – vs. Seattle
9. Owen Daniels – Houston Texans – at New York Jets
10. Dennis Pitta – Baltimore Ravens – at Kansas City
11. Antonio Gates – San Diego Chargers – at New Orleans
12. Brent Celek – Philadelphia Eagles – at Pittsburgh
13. Jared Cook – Tennessee Titans – at Minnesota
14. Jacob Tamme – Denver Broncos – at New England Patriots
15. Jermaine Gresham – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Miami
16. Fred Davis – Washington Redskins – vs. Atlanta
17. Scott Chandler – Buffalo Bills – at San Francisco
18. Heath Miller – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Philadelphia
19. Dustin Keller – New York Jets – vs. Houston
20. Joel Dressen – Denver Broncos – at New England Patriots
21. Coby Fleener – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Green Bay
22. Marcedes Lewis – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Chicago
23. Anthony Fasano – Miami Dolphins – at Cincinnati
24. Benjamin Watson – Cleveland Browns – at New York Giants
25. Tony Moeaki – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Baltimore

Thoughts:

• After Owen Daniels went off for 6 receptions, 72 yards and 1 TD, the Tennessee Titans have now allowed opposing tight ends to score 7 TD over the first 4 games.  Kyle Rudolph will look to continue the onslaught, as he brings 15 catches for 146 yards and 3 TD into the game.  Consider him a viable TE1 in all formats.
• Will Tony Gonzalez ever slow down?  With the Falcons throwing the ball more in 2012, he has looked right at home with 26 catches (most among TE) for 265 yards (behind only Brent Celek) and 3 TD.  There is no reason to think he’s going to slow down now.
• I know Dennis Pitta disappointed last Thursday, but that was more of an aberration.  He played way too big of a role over the first three weeks to think that he has suddenly been dropped from the offense.  He should bounce back nicely this week.
• We all knew that Martellus Bennett couldn’t have a big game every week, didn’t we?  A lot of it probably had to do with the Giants needing him to help protect Eli Manning from the relentless Eagles’ pass rush.  If Hakeem Nicks is unable to play once again this week, I would expect a solid bounce back against a Browns’ defense that is allowing 286.0 passing yards per game.
• Antonio Gates has been a bitter disappointment, with 10 receptions for 124 yards over 4 games.  Sooner or later you would think he has to turn it around.  Until he does, however, he’s a low-end option with upside.
• There’s value in tight ends making the most of their targets, but there also is a lot of risk.  Good examples of this are Scott Chandler (12 receptions and 4 TD) and Heath Miller (15 receptions and 4 TD).  Just don’t push them too far, because if they don’t find the end zone their value is nil.

Make sure to check out the rest of our Week 5 rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks