Outlook: Speed, skill, athleticism—is there anything that Jimmy Graham doesn't bring to the table as the league's most talented tight end? Other than durability, probably not. Although he has missed just two games during his three-year career, Graham battled wrist and ankle injuries last year and as a result saw his production decline. After totaling 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2011, he failed to top the 1000-yard mark in 2012, with 982 yards and nine touchdowns. Great numbers to be sure, and good enough to be the top-ranked fantasy TE. But is there value here? If you have to spend a high second-round pick to get him, then no. But if you can grab him late in the second round, then go for it. The Saints return all of their key skill position players but they lack a proven No. 3 receiver, and that should mean plenty of targets for Graham once again in 2013. With Rob Gronkowski's injury woes, Graham is the undisputed top-ranked fantasy TE.

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Outlook: We know Gronkowski has plenty of upside, but his growing list of injuries brings along plenty of risk. While his forearm is expected to be fine in 2013, offseason back surgery will almost assuredly keep him from being ready for the opening of training camp, and there is an outside chance of his opening the season on the PUP list. Of course, Gronkowski finished last season as the second-ranked fantasy TE (despite appearing in just 11 games) and has a whopping 39 touchdowns over the last three years. If healthy for 16 games, he will likely be the top-ranked TE in 2013, but the odds aren't strong that he will be available for the entire season. Despite that, he should come off the board in your league's draft no later than the third round, and the only tight end that is worthy of being taken ahead of him is the Saints' Jimmy Graham.

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Outlook: Is this the year Davis reemerges as an upper-tier fantasy TE? After a monster year in 2009 with 965 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, Davis once again topped 900 receiving yards in 2010 while scoring seven touchdowns. Since then, he has been a major disappointment; especially last season when he hauled in just 41 passes for 548 yards and five touchdowns. With Colin Kaepernick taking over for Alex Smith at quarterback in Week 9, Davis went AWOL from the 49ers offense. He was targeted just 12 times over a six-game stretch from Weeks 12 to 17, catching six passes for 61 yards and no touchdowns. The good news is that he topped 100 receiving yards in both of the 49ers’ playoff games, and he should figure prominently in the team's passing attack in 2013 with wide receiver Michael Crabtree expected to miss most of the season with a torn Achilles tendon. Anquan Boldin will help fill the void left by Crabtree's injury, but he is no longer a true No. 1 receiver and the team lacks quality depth behind him. Add it all up and Davis should be line for a solid season in 2013. Just remember that we've said that before.

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Outlook: If Peyton Manning is Mr. Consistency at quarterback, then Witten must own that honor among the league's tight ends. In ten years with the Cowboys, he has missed just one game—way back in his rookie season in 2003. Over the past six seasons, Witten has caught at least 79 passes for at least 942 yards. With the Cowboys running game struggling in 2012, Witten was a target machine, hauling in 110 of his 147 looks (both career highs) for 1,039 yards. If you're looking for a knock on Witten, we can give you two. One, Father Time catches up to all of us, and the 31-year-old has a lot of wear and tear on his system. Two, quarterback Tony Romo doesn't look his way in the red zone, with Witten scoring just three touchdowns in 2012 and averaging just 4.4 touchdowns per season over the past seven years. With no proven third receiver, Witten should come close to replicating his performance from a year ago. You could make the argument that he should be the third TE off the board this season, behind only Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski.

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Outlook: Expecting it to be his final season, Gonzalez left it all on the field in 2012, having the finest season of his four-year run as a Falcon. With the running game struggling, Gonzalez hauled in 93 receptions for 930 yards and eight touchdowns and then promptly reversed his decision to retire. The question is whether he can repeat that performance in 2013 at 37 years of age. With his speed in serious decline, Gonzalez creates space with his route running, but his usage is likely to be reduced with Steven Jackson now patrolling in the Falcons backfield. While another 93-catch season is unlikely, Gonzalez has the potential to finish just behind Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski as a top fantasy TE.

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Outlook: Five years into his career, Finley has failed to reach his potential despite playing in one of the league's top-rated offenses in each of those seasons. He disappointed once again in 2012, catching a career-high 61 passes but failing to deliver much in the way of big plays. He averaged a career low 10.9 yards per reception and caught just two touchdown passes, after emerging as a solid red zone option in 2011 with eight touchdowns. With Greg Jennings having left town, there is one less mouth to feed in Green Bay, but that positive is offset by the fact that the team seems ready to re-dedicate itself to the running game, having used two draft picks to replenish the position. Perhaps the truth is that the Packers’ offensive scheme just doesn't utilize the tight end position enough for Finley to maximize his immense potential. Or maybe he's just an enigma. Either way, he rates as a lower-tier TE1—one who will drive you mad with his inconsistency (consider his five-game stretch in which he failed to top 3 fantasy points).

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Outlook: Olsen spent his first year in Carolina having to cede targets to Jeremy Shockey, but with Shockey out of the picture in 2012, Olsen put together the finest season of his six-year career. It was a long time coming for the Bears’ 2007 first-round pick. With no proven threat opposite Steve Smith, Olsen emerged as the Panthers’ second best receiving option, hauling in 69 receptions for 843 yards and five touchdowns. Better yet, he was fairly consistent especially over the latter part of the season. The good news for Olsen is that Carolina once again is unsure of what it has opposite Smith, with Brandon LaFell and Domenik the front-runners to win the second and third receiving jobs. That bodes well for Olsen's fantasy prospects in 2013. He should be considered a mid-tier TE1.

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Outlook: Even after a disappointing four-year run with Tennessee, Cook was one of the most sought after free agents on the market this offseason, signing a lucrative multi-year contract with the Rams. In St. Louis, he figures to be a key cog in an up-and-coming passing attack that has struggled to find a consistent big-play presence for years. Now, with Cook and wide receivers Chris Givens and Tavon Austin, the team now has the ability to line up plenty of speed across the board in the passing game. As the most proven of that trio, Cook figures to reach a career-high in targets (his previous was 81 during the 2011 season), after being underutilized in Tennessee. As well as being one of the fastest tight ends in the league, Cook has solid size at 6'5” and 248 pounds, so a career year seems to be in order in 2013. The question is whether he will blow away his previous production or merely take it a notch higher. Consider Cook a mid-tier TE1 with upside.

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Outlook: Last year we told you that it was time to give up hope that Daniels would regain the elite form he displayed over the first half of the 2009 season before suffering a torn ACL. While it seems pretty certain that Daniels, at 30 years of age, won't regain that form, he played surprisingly well in 2012, hauling in 62 receptions for 716 yards and six touchdowns, a career high. With the Texans once again having issues at wide receiver opposite Andre Johnson, Daniels was targeted a career-high 104 times. While the team is high on first-round pick DeAndre Hopkins, the truth is that Houston still does not have a proven threat to play alongside Johnson, and that makes Daniels a lower-tier TE1 in 2013.

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Outlook: After catching 53 passes for 493 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 6.5 PPG, there is a good chance that Rudolph will be getting some fantasy love in this year's draft as a potential third-year breakout candidate at TE. We're not buying it. While the Vikings’ 2011 second-round pick has solid size at 6'6”, 259 pounds and is a good route runner on short and intermediate patterns, he lacks the speed necessary to become a truly elite tight end. Not helping matters is the presence of quarterback Christian Ponder, who is clearly more of a game-managing check-down artist and not the gunslinger who could propel a player like Rudolph to fantasy stardom. Where Rudolph excels is in the red zone, having caught 12 touchdown passes in his last 23 games. And we all know it’s foolhardy to chase touchdowns, even if the Vikings lack a big receiver to steal Rudolph's red zone looks. Consider him an upper-tier TE2 in 2013.

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Outlook: Although the Lions were the league's most pass-oriented offense, Pettigrew's role decreased as his targets dipped from a career-high 126 in 2011 to just 102 in 2012. And he caught just 59 passes for 567 yards and three touchdowns, a pretty low figure given his 6'5” frame. Come to think of it, Pettigrew has been a bit of a disappointment in the red zone during his four-year career with just 14 touchdowns. Part of that lack of production is explained by his solid blocking ability. That counts when your team has three new starters along the offensive line as the Lions do in 2013, but it doesn’t make for nice fantasy numbers. Also not helping matters is the presence of backup tight end Tony Scheffler, who had 85 targets last season. Pettigrew rates as a low-risk, low-end TE1.

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Outlook: The good news for Cameron is that incumbent starter Ben Watson wasn't re-signed and new head coach Rob Chudzinski and offensive coordinator Norv Turner have been very proficient at getting production out of the tight end position (see Antonio Gates and Greg Olsen). The not-so-good news is that Cameron, the Browns fourth-round pick in the 2011 draft, hasn't produced much during his first two years in the league (just 26 receptions for 259 yards and a touchdown on his 53 targets). Cameron clearly has the ability to be a solid pass-receiving tight end, but his poor blocking ability doesn't help keep him on the field at all times. Consider him a mid-tier TE2 with upside.

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