TIGHT ends used to be fantasy afterthoughts. Sure, you wouldn’t mind having Tony Gonzalez during his Kansas City days, but you weren’t going to spend a first- or second-round pick on him.
Now things have changed. There are new heroes on the fantasy landscape. If the quarterbacks, running backs and receivers are the Supermen, Batmen and Spider-Men of the fantasy landscape, then tight ends are more like Wolverine — mutant heroes for a new age.
The increased reliance on passing by NFL teams has led to this new wrinkle. Now, the fantasy production of elite tight ends runs in lockstep with top receivers.
The catch is this: If you miss on one of the two elite TEs, gravitate toward other positions early. There are some promising options later, but make sure you wait to nab them.
TIGHT ENDS
There’s a top TE, a second TE, then every one else. So if you plan to draft one early, make sure it’s Rob Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham. Though Gronk easily outscored Graham last season, we expect that to change this year.
Aaron Hernandez should be healthier this year, which will cut into Gronk’s production with the Patriots. There are no such developments for Graham — in fact, the Saints lost WR Robert Meachem, which means one less to steal looks from Graham.
Despite their enormous production, we don’t enjoy taking a TE this early. And there are guys we like later. So don’t be afraid to pass up drafting one of the dynamic duo.
Those guys we like do not include Tony Gonzalez, Jermichael Finley or Hernandez. All either have seen better days or have let us down before.
If you do opt for a TE in rounds 5-7, we prefer Antonio Gates, because we expect Philip Rivers to bounce back, or Vernon Davis, because Davis is a physical beast capable of taking over any game (and we don’t yet trust QB Alex Smith throwing to wideouts). Jason Witten is usually a safe bet, but his recent spleen laceration means he should be dropped at least a couple of rounds if he’s sidelined past Week 1.
Often we wait longer. We love the value of Brandon Pettigrew around Round 10. He could post numbers similar to those in the second tier. The same goes for Fred Davis, who could benefit from having rookie Robert Griffin III under center, because rookies tend to rely more heavily on tight ends. Owen Daniels also provides solid upside, along with injury risk.
There are times when WRs or RBs drop unexpectedly, delaying the selection of a TE. If forced to wait until very late in the draft, target Jermaine Gresham, Martellus Bennett or Joel Dreesen, whom we like better than Jacob Tamme in Denver.
DEFENSES
One thing the Tracker never does: Target a specific defense. We may think the 49ers easily are the best option, but no matter how much better we think they are, we’re not going to pick them, or any other defense in rounds 7-8. We’re going to fill out our primary positions, build some depth at those positions — figure two QBs, four RBs, four WRs, one TE. Only then does the Tracker start to consider defenses/special teams.
If you don’t start looking until rounds 12 or 13, the most sought-after units will be gone — 49ers, Bears, Steelers, Ravens. But that’s OK, we’re not so high on the Steelers and Ravens anyway.
Ending up with the Texans, Lions or Eagles if perfectly acceptable. We even are fine settling for a 14th-round team — such as the Seahawks or Giants.
And don’t dismiss the notion of a waiver defense each week (just pick up the available unit that faces the worst offense).
KICKERS
Drafting a kicker is like shooting darts blindfolded. Their production rises and falls unpredictably. Our favorite, Sebastian Janikowski, will be drafted much too high for our taste — which means anytime before the final round. Our preferences include Mason Crosby, David Akers, Alex Henery and Rob Bironas. But honestly, we are satisfied as long as our guy is the primary kicker on an NFL roster.
dloftis@nypost.com