Welcome to the LWOS Fantasy Department’s Official Fantasy Football Rankings. We will release our rankings and player profiles over the next few weeks to get you prepared for your 2014 fantasy football draft. Everyday we will be releasing either a group of player profiles with their rankings or articles that will provide you with outstanding fantasy advice. Take a second to bookmark the site so you can check back daily. Follow our departments twitter account @lwosfantasy for info, updates, and advice. We are going to work hard for you, to make sure you get to have the Last Word on Your Fantasy League. Click here for all our fantasy articles and rankings. Today, we have Fantasy Tight End Rankings 10-6.
Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings
#10 Dennis Pitta
| Year | Age | Team | G | REC | Yrds | TD | Tar | Fum | Fum lost |
| 2011 | 26 | Bal | 16 | 40 | 405 | 3 | 56 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 27 | Bal | 16 | 61 | 669 | 7 | 94 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 28 | Bal | 4 | 20 | 169 | 1 | 33 | 0 | 0 |
Flashback to 2012: Pitta had 61 receptions for 669 yards and 7 TDs. He was the 7th best TE in fantasy football, and he SHARED playing time with Ed Dickson. Expectations were high last year until he fractured and dislocated his hip in training camp and missed most of last season. Baltimore was simply not the same without him, so they gave him a new contract. This year, Pitta is healthy and a major sleeper. First, Baltimore signed WR Steve Smith from Carolina to play alongside WR Torrey Smith, giving QB Joe Flacco lots of options. With both receivers capable of stretching the field with speed and great hands, this will leave the under coverage wide open for Pitta to exploit. Also, Gary Kubiak is the new offensive coordinator in Baltimore, and Kubiak loved tight ends in Houston (see Owen Daniels). Pitta could easily lead the Ravens in catches this year, as his connection with Flacco is very strong. This is a sleeper candidate for 2014. His current ADP in ESPN drafts is about 97, and he is an absolute steal there. Take him anywhere after the 70th pick and feel confident.
Jack Hammond – @jayhamm26
#9 Zach Ertz
| Year | Age | Team | G | REC | Yrds | TD | Tar | Fum | Fum lost |
| 2013 | 22 | Phi | 16 | 36 | 469 | 4 | 56 | 0 | 0 |
Ertz was only the second best fantasy TE on his own team during his rookie season, but that seems certain to change in 2014. The former Stanford star was drafted by Chip Kelly to be a pass-catching weapon in the Eagles’ fast-break offense. Ertz was only worth 4.0 points per game last year, but put up double digit points three times in the last eight games. Greatest strength: field-stretching speed in the middle of the field, which makes him a tough cover for a LB. Biggest weakness: still growing into his own as a pro, and despite the perception, Kelly’s offense is really a run-first system.
Donald King – @dbking65
#8 Jordan Reed
| Year | Age | Team | G | REC | Yrds | TD | Tar | Fum | Fum lost |
| 2013 | 22 | Was | 9 | 45 | 499 | 3 | 60 | 0 | 0 |
Jordan Reed will be primary beneficiary of QB Robert Griffin III’s recovery. Reed was having a decent year until he got a concussion in week 11, but he is fully healthy for this season. The Redskins’ passing attack should be greatly improved this year. With a healthy RG3 at the helm, Pierre Garcón, Jordan Reed, Alfred Morris and newly added DeSean Jackson should all produce big numbers this year. Reed is getting taken at 115 on average on ESPN, and he should finish as a top 10 TE this year. He flashed his potential in two weeks last year. In week 7, he had 9 receptions for 134 yards and a TD, and in week 10 he had 6 receptions for 62 yards and a TD. His targets started to increase as the season went on, so we wouldn’t be surprised if this trend continues this year. He may not be a star, but Reed could easily produce top 10 TE numbers. If you don’t grab one of the top tight ends early, he is worth waiting for.
Jack Hammond – @jayhamm26
#7 Greg Olsen
| Year | Age | Team | G | REC | Yrds | TD | Tar | Fum | Fum lost |
| 2011 | 26 | Car | 16 | 45 | 540 | 5 | 89 | 1 | 1 |
| 2012 | 27 | Car | 16 | 69 | 843 | 5 | 104 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 28 | Car | 16 | 73 | 816 | 6 | 111 | 0 | 0 |
The Carolina Panthers this past offseason lost Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell who were two of their top receivers last season. The Panthers did very little this past offseason to help improve the wide receiver position and give Cam Newton weapons to work with. So with this being said, what Carolina did was take a top wide receiving prospect in Kelvin Benjamin in the first round of the NFL Draft as well as sign second tier receivers Jerricho Cotchery, Tiquan Underwood and Jason Avant. These receivers have shown promise on the previous teams they’ve played for but have never consistently put up solid numbers for years at a time. That guy who consistently puts up quality numbers year in and year out is none other than the 29 year old tight end Greg Olsen. Over the past two seasons, Olsen has not only had the second-most receptions for Panthers, but he has averaged 106.5 targets in these past two years. He knows how to rack up yards, averaging 829.5 yards the past two seasons, and he has heaved in a minimum of five touchdown catches since 2008. Cam Newton loves to utilize Olsen as aforementioned and he is going to be lining up with a less than stellar receiving corps which is going to allow Olsen to thrive in Carolina’s offensive in 2014. He may not be the sexiest name out there with the Gronkowksi’s and Graham’s taking in a majority of the headlines regarding top tight end’s, but do not let that overshadow the career year Olsen is shaping up to have.
Matt Abrams – @Matty_ICE07
#6 Jason Witten
| Year | Age | Team | G | REC | Yrds | TD | Tar | Fum | Fum lost |
| 2011 | 29 | Dal | 16 | 79 | 942 | 5 | 117 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 30 | Dal | 16 | 110 | 1039 | 3 | 149 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 31 | Dal | 16 | 73 | 851 | 8 | 111 | 0 | 0 |
Jason Witten has been a top 6 fantasy TE for the past 3 years. However, Witten was all over the place in terms of week-to-week points last year. He had his lowest receiving totals in seven seasons with 851 yards. He also saw his lowest targets in three seasons at 111. Dez Bryant is starting to see more targets as he rises into the elite receivers while Terrance Williams emerged as a great WR2 last season for Dallas. However, Witten’s downside has always been his inability to find the end zone, and he finally solved that issue last year with 8 scores. Witten will only maintain his status as a top 5 TE if he can continue to score. I believe he is done having 1000 yard seasons, but he is still a solid standard TE1 and should produce quality numbers once again. Witten is getting drafted in the early 60’s in many mock drafts, but he isn’t worth the pick there. I would prefer him in the 70’s.
Jack Hammond – @jayhamm26
To find all our Fantasy Football Coverage at our LWOS page click HERE.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert. Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow the fantasy department Twitter – @lwosfantasy. Make sure you support LWOS by following the site on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and by “liking” the Facebook page.
Football fans… check out our two partnered NFL podcasts – Thursday Night Tailgate Radio and Overtime Ireland. Both shows bring you interesting commentary, critical analysis and fantastic guests including former and current NFL players, coaches and personalities.
Main Photo:
