The tight end position is littered with banged up options, as well as many disappointments.  With those in mind, who has risen to become top options?  Let’s take a look:

1. Tony Gonzalez – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Oakland
2. Vernon Davis – San Francisco 49ers – vs. New York Giants
3. Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys – at Baltimore
4. Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots – at Seattle
5. Aaron Hernandez – New England Patriots – at Seattle
6. Brent Celek – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. Detroit
7. Heath Miller – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Tennessee
8. Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings – at Washington
9. Owen Daniels – Houston Texans – vs. Green Bay
10. Dennis Pitta – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Dallas
11. Fred Davis – Washington Redskins – vs. Minnesota
12. Jermichael Finley – Green Bay Packers – at Houston
13. Jermaine Gresham – Cincinnati Bengals – at Cleveland
14. Brandon Pettigrew – Detroit Lions – at Philadelphia
15. Jared Cook – Tennessee Titans – vs. Pittsburgh
16. Martellus Bennett – New York Giants – at San Francisco
17. Antonio Gates – San Diego Chargers – vs. Denver
18. Zach Miller – Seattle Seahawks – vs. New England
19. Scott Chandler – Buffalo Bills – at Arizona
20. Jacob Tamme – Denver Broncos – at San Diego
21. Anthony Fasano – Miami Dolphins – vs. St. Louis
22. Coby Fleener – Indianapolis Colts – at New York Jets
23. Joel Dressen – Denver Broncos – at San Diego
24. Brandon Myers – Oakland Raiders – at Atlanta
25. Dwayne Allen – Indianapolis Colts – at New York Jets

Thoughts:

• Rob Gronkowski could see his role scaled back a bit, given his reported hip injury, especially with Aaron Hernandez likely to return in Week 6.  He actually has been surprisingly hit or miss, with 35 yards or less (and no TD) in two of his past three games.  At this point it is impossible to have him sitting atop the rankings.
• Would anyone have really expected to have Tony Gonzalez sitting atop the rankings at any point in 2012?  He just continues to get the job done, with 39 receptions (13 for 123 yards and 1 TD in Week 5) for 388 yards and 4 TD.  There’s no questioning that he is going to play a significant role in the team’s new passing approach.  With a favorable matchup against the Raiders, he should be in store for another big week.
• Week 4 was Jason Witten’s “return” performance, with 13 receptions for 112 yards and 1 TD.  He should continue to play a major role in the Cowboys passing attack and should simply build on this performance.
• The Tennessee Titans have been burned by tight ends week after week after week.  This week it is Heath Miller’s turn, who has been a focus of the Steelers in the red zone.  While his value is mostly tied to his ability to score TD, it’s a pretty good bet that he gets there this week.
• Has the time really come that Antonio Gates is not viewed as a TE1?  He’s played in 4 games this season and hasn’t had more than 4 receptions, hasn’t scored a TD and only once has been above 43 yards (he had 59 in Week 4).  At this point there are definitely more promising options out there, though given his upside I would still hold out hope that Gates gets on track.
• Joel Dressen or Jacob Tamme?  The problem is, without the number of targets as the Patriots’ tight end duo, there likely isn’t enough chances to go around.  It’s going to be hit or miss on which one makes the impact, so it’s a situation you may want to avoid.
• Both Jermichael Finley & Martellus Bennett came out of Week 5 banged up.  We’ll have to keep a close eye on the news to see if they are going to be at full strength or not.  The same can be said for the Jets’ Dustin Keller, who remained out in Week 5.  If he plays, he’s a TE2
• Is Zach Miller returning to fantasy viability?  He had 3 receptions for 59 yards in Week 5 and will likely be called upon heavily in Week 6 against the Patriots.  The Seahawks are going to want to try and keep the ball out of Tom Brady’s hands, so utilizing the running game and a short passing game makes sense.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 6 rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks