By Bart Lopez
1. Rob Gronkowski (NE): The first of the New England tight end duo takes the top spot this week. Gronkowski continued to put up good numbers last week with seven catches and 94 yards. The Patriots offense is too good for Gronkowski to not be a solid starter every Sunday. Brady will send plenty of passes his way. Projected fantasy points: 10.3.
2. Jason Witten (DAL): The Eagles shut down the Cowboys offense last week and Jason Witten suffered as a result. He caught four passes for only 28 yards. The Cowboys should have a lot more success with weekend against the Seahawks, so expect a more typical Witten performance. Projected fantasy points: 10.0.
3. Jimmy Graham (NO): Jimmy Graham struggled last Sunday in New Orleans’ disappointing road loss to St. Louis. Despite the off day, Graham is still Brees’ favorite target and has 713 yards receiving and five touchdowns on the year. Expect the Saints and Graham to rebound nicely this week against the Bucs. Projected fantasy points: 9.6.
4. Antonio Gates (SD): Antonio Gates takes the fourth spot after a decent game in the loss to the Chiefs. He finished with 73 receiving yards off of four receptions. The Chargers play the undefeated Packers this weekend. Green Bay’s secondary has struggled, which is good news for Gates fantasy owners. Projected fantasy points: 9.2.
5. Aaron Hernandez (NE): The Patriots have two tight ends on the list yet again. Hernandez had an odd game last week, finishing with only nine receiving yards and a touchdown. Hernandez may not get as many yards as Gronkowski, but he is a big target for Tom Brady in the red zone. Projected fantasy points: 9.1.
Not top 5, but could be: This week’s tight end that just missed the cut is Green Bay’s Jermichael Finley. Finley is coming off his second game of the season with a touchdown in week seven. The Packers have scored over 20 points every game this season, and that is likely to continue against the Chargers on Sunday. I expect Finley to get a red zone touchdown from Aaron Rodgers. Projected fantasy points: 8.5.
