Draft Jimmy Graham Very Early
TEs Graham, Gronkowski Both Warrant First-Round Fantasy Consideration
Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com
One of the few surefire ways to gain a big weekly advantage this year is to draft tight ends Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski. Draft them early. They will both produce huge fantasy numbers. Expect 12-15 points/game with an amazing upside for 25 points. Rostering Graham or Gronkowski will provide your team with a 7+ point weekly tight end advantage. An edge of this magnitude is worthy of a high 2nd round pick. Possibly even a late 1st rounder if you aren’t sold on the QBs left. Come out smelling like a rose and take advantage of the terrific middle round RB value and the immense WR depth available in this draft.
You can’t go wrong with Gronkowski or Graham. If you have to choose, we like Graham just a hair more. He has a little cleaner path to being the clear cut #1 WR on his team and a legitimate shot at 100 receptions. In Gronk’s favor he was on the field for 305 (37%) more snaps than Graham, due to his superior run blocking skills. You don’t get fantasy points for run blocking though and Graham will play more snaps this year. So far he has operated on raw talent. Another offseason under his belt will go a long way towards his development. A frightening prospect for everyone not involved.