With Rob Gronkowski out of action fantasy owners lost arguably the best option in the league.  Will Aaron Hernandez step into his role?  That remains to be seen, and that doesn’t help Gronkowski owners anyways.  Let’s take a look at all the rankings and try to determine who the best fill-in could be:

1. Tony Gonzalez – Atlanta Falcons – at Tampa Bay
2. Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Washington
3. Jimmy Graham – New Orleans Saints – vs. San Francisco
4. Owen Daniels – Houston Texans – at Detroit
5. Brandon Myers – Oakland Raiders – at Cincinnati
6. Vernon Davis – San Francisco 49ers – at New Orleans
7. Antonio Gates – San Diego Chargers – vs. Baltimore
8. Jermaine Gresham – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Oakland
9. Greg Olsen – Carolina Panthers – at Philadelphia
10. Heath Miller – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Cleveland
11. Dwayne Allen – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Buffalo
12. Jermichael Finley – Green Bay Packers – at New York Giants
13. Brent Celek – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. Carolina
14. Dallas Clark – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. Atlanta
15. Dennis Pitta – Baltimore Ravens – at San Diego
16. Marcedes Lewis – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Tennessee
17. Brandon Pettigrew – Detroit Lions – vs. Houston
18. Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings – at Chicago
19. Jared Cook – Tennessee Titans – at Jacksonville
20. Joel Dressen – Denver Broncos – at Kansas City
21. Dustin Keller – New York Jets – vs. New England
22. Scott Chandler – Buffalo Bills – at Indianapolis
23. Martellus Bennett – New York Giants – vs. Green Bay
24. Logan Paulson – Washington Redskins – at Dallas
25. Tony Moeaki – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Denver

Thoughts:

• Rob Gronkowski’s absence obviously causes a huge void at the top of these rankings.  Could Aaron Hernandez ultimately fill it?  Possibly, though we’ve thought he was going to play for the past few weeks only to be disappointed.  If Hernandez is playing, he’ll slide in as a TE1.  However, we’ll have to monitor the news to see if that is going to happen or not.
• Obviously Jimmy Graham is not your typical tight end, but a matchup with the 49ers is always going to push you at least a spot or two down the rankings.  He’s still a Top 5 option, but with the other elite options with better matchups he misses out on the top few spots.
• Logan Paulson only had one reception in Week 11, but it went for 17 yards and a touchdown.  Since Fred Davis went down Paulson has been an under-the-radar option, averaging 4.3 receptions and 59.3 yards per game (over three games).  If touchdowns start to get into the mix, he is going to fly up fantasy boards.  As it is, he is immediately an option for the desperate.
• It was another impressive performance for Brandon Myers, bringing in six catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.  He’s already reached 50 catches on the season, as well as exceeding 500 yards.  He has scored three touchdowns on the season, all coming in the past three weeks (coinciding with the recent explosion from Carson Palmer).  With a favorable matchup and a hot quarterback, Myers has suddenly emerged as a TE1 in all formats.
• Even without Ben Roethlisberger, you have to like the potential of Heath Miller as a safety valve for Charlie Batch.  While his upside may not be quite as high, he should remain a TE1 in all formats.
• Martellus Bennett got off to a fast start, but over the past few weeks he has nearly disappeared.  At this point, even in a potential shootout, he has to be considered more of a low-end option.
• Dallas Clark had seven receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown in Week 11, and has now scored in back-to-back games.  He obviously hasn’t been great this season, but the recent increased role and the ability to find the end zone pushes him up the rankings.

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Make sure to check out all of our Week 12 rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 50 Wide Receivers
• Top 15 Defenses
• Top 15 Kickers