Fantasy Football

The latest news, rumors and injury updates on key fantasy football players.

Originally Posted on FantasyKnuckleheads.comIn recent years we’ve seen tight ends go higher and higher in most fantasy football drafts. With guys like Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham becoming go-to guys for their respective teams, the tight end position is getting more and more involved in the passing game as the years go by. The Patriots seem to have started a trend in terms of two tight end sets with Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. In 2013, there could be a few teams such as the Colts (Allen/Fleener), Bengals (Eifert/Gresham) and the Cowboys (Witten/Escobar) who will attempt to use the same formula. Whether it works just as well as it has for the Patriots remains to be seen. But if this trend continues, fantasy football owners could be seeing more value in later rounds when it comes to selecting a tight end. On that note, lets take a look at this year’s top-10 tight ends that have been going in all fantasy football drafts thus far. Like I had written in my Top 10 Running Backs in the 2013 Fantasy Football Draft, I pull these ranks from various drafting sites to give the best averages possible. I am also continuing with the PPR format. Once done reading, also make sure to check out Phil Clark’s 2013 Fantasy Football QB Rankings. 1. Jimmy Graham – Saints Maybe Graham didn’t come close to his statline from 2011 (99/1310/11), but his 85 catches in 2012 still tied with Michael Crabtree and Eric Decker for 13th place amongst ALL receivers. Unlike the situation in New England, Graham doesn’t have another tight end to contend with for receptions. So while Drew Brees is still under center, Graham will continue to be the No. 1 overall fantasy tight end in ALL league formats. 2. Rob Gronkowski – Patriots Can Gronkowski be the No. 1 tight end in 2013? He’s shown he can be in the past. Would I take him this high right now? Hell no. Doctors operated on Gronk’s forearm on Monday, saying they are “confident” the infection in his surgically-repaired arm has subsided. The bad news is Gronkowski is now expected to undergo minor back surgery, which will take around 10 weeks to recover from. The window between full health and Week One is going to be a bit too close for my taste. If Gronkowski dropped in the draft, I would take a shot in the hopes he’ll be a value pick. But for now, No. 2 seems a bit too high. 3. Aaron Hernandez – Patriots Like Gronkowski, Hernandez is currently on the shelf after undergoing shoulder surgery back in early April. But the chances of him being fully ready for Week One is much greater than Gronk’s at the moment. The biggest problem with Hernandez is health. He has yet to play all sixteen games during his career, missing six last year due to a high-ankle sprain. Still, Hernandez is someone who could easily eclipse 1000 yards in a season if all the cards fall the right way in 2013. 4. Jason Witten – Cowboys Having owned Witten several times in past leagues, I can say he is the safest of the top 5 players on this list. Coming off a 2012 season in which he notched a career-high 110 receptions, expect Tony Romo to look his way a lot again in 2013. As I previously stated, the Cowboys could try and incorporate more Gavin Escobar in the offense, but I would be surprised if this wound up being a full-on time share. 5. Tony Gonzalez – Falcons Owners in dynasty and keeper leagues were overjoyed when they heard that the Falcons were able to talk Gonzo into playing for at least one more season. One of the positives I love about Gonzo is his play didn’t slowly drop from the beginning of the 2012 season to the end. Yes he had a few duds, but notching five-or-more receptions in three-of-the-last four games last year is pretty darn good for someone who just turned 37. He might not be able to bring in another 1000-yard season due to so many other weapons in Atlanta’s offense, but 70-80 receptions are easily doable. 6. Vernon Dav

The Cleveland Browns feel confident RB Dion Lewis and WR Travis Benjamin can handle kick return duties, which is why fan favorite WR Joshua Cribbs was allowed to leave via free agency without much effort to re-sign him. Plus, Cribbs is 30, and there are concerns about his knee. The Browns like the speed of Lewis, especially as a third-down back. Huddle Up: Cribbs was a special teams mainstay in Cleveland, but between his age and his knee and the new regime the Browns have opted to go a different direction. If Lewis sees the field as a third-down back as well as a returner he could bring a little something to the fantasy table in leagues where his kick return stats count.

. Tyler Cloyd, Philadelphia Phillies @ Miami Marlins Cloyd won his season debut, holding the Diamondbacks to two runs on two hits in 6.1 innings. Last year he was 2-0 at home with a 2.50 ERA (7.50 on the road). . Season Totals: 16-18, 271.2 IP, 210 Ks, 4.11 ERA (124 earned runs), 1.30 WHIP (261 hits, 91 walks) .

It’s time for “Audibles” to go around the horn and give you some information on all 32 teams. It’s time to start looking at camp battles and who’s worthy of your picks this year. Come on in ...

Forget Mike Glennon possibly replacing Josh Freeman during the season. Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano told Dan Pompei of the National Football Post that Glennon could be his starting quarterback coming out of training camp. quot;But our situation will be only if [Glennon] is needed. Or if he wins the job," Schiano said. "Look, I'm not against that. We have a strong quarterback. It's not like we're looking to find a starter. But competition is competition. Mike Glennon is a fierce competitor." FANTASY ANALYSIS: The article runs through Schiano's history with Glennon, back to when he recruited Glennon to go to Rutgers while he was still playing high school football in Virginia. Glennon chose North Carolina State. Schiano also compares Glennon to Joe Flacco. It's clear what Schiano really expects out of Glennon this season, no matter what he says here. He originally said Glennon will play "if needed." Then, as if something hit him in the back of the head, he remembered that he has been stressing quarterback competition the entire offseason and needed to say something along those lines. Yes, Glennon will be in a competition in training camp. No, he is not expected to win the job right away, even by his coaches in Tampa. But an in-season switch seems possible if Josh Freeman plays like he did at the end of last season.

Apr 20, 2013; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide White Team quarterback AJ McCarron (10) drops back to pass against the Red Team during the annual A-Day game at Bryant Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Height: 6’3″ Weight: 214 pounds Drafted By: 40 Yard Dash: Bench Press: Vertical Jump: Broad Jump: Scouting Report/Player Notes 2013 Pre-season notes McCarron had an unbelievable junior campaign in 2012 on his way to leading the Crimson Tide to another National Title. He finished with just under 3,000 yards passing, 30 touchdowns, and only three interceptions. My biggest concern with McCarron? His performance in some of the Tide’s biggest games last season. It’s hard to knock a guy who plays on such a dominant team, but there is no question about it, his production dipped when Alabama played teams like Michigan, LSU, Texas A&M, and Georgia. Then, he came out and played the game of his life against Notre Dame in the National Championship game. It’s tough to get a read on McCarron, but this is what I know for sure: The guy has the mental toughness to be a good NFL quarterback. He has a strong arm and is capable of making every throw. He throws a lot of quick passes at Alabama, and he’s very efficient with the football. He doesn’t make bad decisions often, and I think that will translate well to the NFL. Not afraid to take risks or take big shots down the field, and has a great competitive drive. I think looking at the Senior quarterback class of 2014, McCarron is a guy who stands out on one of the most talented teams we’ve seen in decades of college football. He is the team’s leader, and he backs that up on the field with his arm. Based on what we saw this past year, I would venture to say McCarron is a first round prospect who could cement that status with another good year. The biggest thing with this guy is, he is a proven winner at the college level and he has the arm talent to play in the NFL. That’s a good combo to have but he will need to “prove it” with his performance in 2013. 2012 Notes McCarron has been a leader on an Alabama team that is one of the best teams in the entire country. He has pretty much everything that you look for in a quarterback prospect in terms of measurables, coming from a pro-style offense, intangibles, etc. Alabama is certainly not a pass happy offense by any means, but McCarron has proven in just a short amount of time that he is capable of making any kind of throw. He has a strong arm and a quick release, and while his numbers aren’t staggering, he has some really good experience and a national championship as a starting quarterback, a game in which he was an offensive MVP over Heisman finalist Trent Richardson. He really got better as last season progressed, which is encouraging. He is only a junior in 2012, so he could still potentially have two years of college left. Doesn’t lock in on specific receivers, and does a good job of distributing to the plethora of talent on Alabama’s roster. He is going to have a great offensive line once again this year and should be very productive. As a young quarterback, efficiency and minimizing mistakes was the name of his game. He will always have great running backs behind him, but he can grow as a passer and I think that Alabama will let him loose a bit as a junior, which could cause his overall efficiency to take a slight dip. Career Highlights • AP third team All-American • Second team All-SEC • Finalist for Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award • 24-2 (.923) as a starter at Alabama • Leads nation (173.08) in passing efficiency • Alabama record 26 passing touchdowns in 2012 • Went 291 pass attempts (2011-12) without throwing an interception (second-longest streak in SEC history) 2012 (JUNIOR): Veteran signalcaller who leads nation with 173.08 passer efficiency rating … one of five finalists for Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award … semifinalis

Miami Dolphins rookie RB Mike Gillislee is expected to compete with RBs Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas for the starting running back job during offseason workouts and training camp. Huddle Up: The 208-pound Gillislee, a fifth-round selection out of in-state Florida, isn't as fast as Miller or as big as Thomas (230 pounds), but he's a solid combo of the 2 incumbents and definitely will have his shot at the No. 1 job with neither of the vets having asserted themselves so far in their brief time in the league.

Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell's chance at starting this season will be determined by how quickly he will be able to pick up the offense. If Bell struggles to learn the offense, RB Jonathan Dwyer or RB Isaac Redman could start. Huddle Up: Rookie running backs typically can slide right into starting roles at the next level, provided -- and here's the big if -- they can get a quick handle on the vital skill of pass protection/blitz pickup. That's the challenge here for Bell, the second back selected in the draft.

The Cleveland Browns plan to throw a lot to TE Jordan Cameron this season. Cameron has been targeted on several deep passes during organized team activities. Huddle Up: The Browns have only had one TE post 50 or more catches since Kellen Winslow Jr.'s 82-grab season in 2007, and Cameron -- who hauled in 20 passes for 226 yards and a a TD in 2012 -- will take aim at the mark this season.