It was a horrid year for fantasy tight ends in 2018, and these were the worst of the worst, according to our Mike Sullivan (@mikesully58.)

We’re now into our last position group after exploring fantasy quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs who busted in 2018. Now we will be taking a peek at the tight end position.

Overall, the tight end position was a rough one to feel good about in fantasy outside the big three (Zach Ertz, Travis Kelce, Greg Kittle). There were a few other tight ends who showed some promise like Eric Ebron, who seemed to be a touchdown machine, and youngsters like O.J. Howard, who performed well when on the field. But more often than not, you were left wondering what to do with your tight end position each week.

To get an idea of how tough the position was on fantasy owners, there were only two weeks where a tight end had to score 11 or more points to make the top 12 for that week. The other 15 weeks you could have had a top-12 finishing tight end, but it may have done little to help your team win. If we dive a little deeper, outside of Ertz and Kelce, no tight end drafted as a top-12 option had more than six weeks where they finished as a top-12 option. Only four of the top 12 drafted tight ends finished higher than their Average Draft Position (ADP) come year’s end.

Here, we will be looking at tight ends who were projected to be in the top 12 entering 2018 by their ADP. Also, as we have been, weekly fantasy performances, overall performance, final fantasy rankings, and previous season performances will also be taken into account. We will also focus on tight ends who appeared in at least half of their team’s games. This helps us gather the most comprehensive list of tight ends who might have caused your team to struggle or left you wondering what to do.

Scoring, weekly performances, and rankings are based on Points Per Reception (PPR) format.

Top fantasy tight end busts of 2018

No. 1 Rob Gronkowski (NE)

Rob Gronkowski had been a perennial fantasy stud and his ADP reflected that entering 2018. He was, more often than not, the first tight end off the board in the late second round (2.09). His ADP reflects his previous season performances when Gronkowski appeared in at least 11 games and averaged a 2.3 ranking among fantasy tight ends. This includes three number one finishes and a second place finish.

Unfortunately, this year was quite the outlier for Gronkowski as he finished 10th in the final rankings at year’s end. While Gronkowski had a few games where you might have felt like the old Gronk was back, he only managed a final stat line of 47 receptions, 682 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

If we look a little deeper, he recorded his lowest number of receptions, yards, and touchdowns (when appearing in 11 games) since his rookie year in 2010. Gronkowski also only managed four top-12 weekly performances, which provided you with around a 30% return rate as a top-12 tight end. What’s even more concerning is that it took 11 or less points to be a top-12 tight end in 15 of the 17 weeks.

Overall it was an unexpected down year for Gronkowski and with the price you paid to draft him, you definitely had some regrets. This is why he tops our list as the biggest tight end bust of 2018.

Looking Forward: Gronkowski had two years left on his contract, but he announced his retirement last Sunday. But if you think the speculation ends there, Gronk’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said he wouldn’t be surprised if he came out of retirement  one day to play for the Patriots again. But for 2019 preparation purposes, you can finally remove Gronkowski from your draft board.

No. 2 Greg Olsen (CAR)

Another veteran who has often been in the mix as a top tight end in year’s past is Greg Olsen, who entered the season around the fifth tight end taken off the board with an ADP in the late fifth round (5.02). This was a slight drop from recent years’ past when he was within the top three tight ends taken. This has seemed warranted as from 2012 to 2016, when Olsen has started in all 16 games, he has averaged a 5th place finish.

Unfortunately, like 2017, Olsen struggled with injuries in 2018 and his production levels dropped. He ended the 2018 season as the 25th ranked tight end in fantasy after starting in nine games.

Hampered by injuries and age, Olsen finished with 27 receptions, 291 yards, and four touchdowns. Despite the down year, Olsen was more productive in 2018 than 2017, but still, this wasn’t the stat line you were hoping for. Week-to-week, Olsen had about a 33% return rate as a top-12 tight end with just three top-12 weekly performances. Also, outside of Jack Doyle, who only started in six games, Olsen had the biggest differential from ADP to final ranking amongst top-12 tight ends in 2018.

Looking Forward: Olsen suffered a fractured foot at the beginning of the year and then a ruptured plantar fascia that ended his 2018 campaign. He also fractured the same foot in 2017 (and re-aggravated it in the same year). One has to wonder how much he has left in the tank with all these injuries, though he seems to be leaning toward playing next season. His current ADP is in the 13th round (13.10) and around the 16th ranked tight end. Even after a rough 2018 for tight ends, I would not feel too confident with him as my top tight end in 2019.

No. 3 Jimmy Graham (GB)

Jimmy Graham entered 2018 around the fourth tight end taken in most drafts with an early fifth round ADP (5.01). Graham was once an extremely reliable asset but more recently he’s hanging around in bust territory.

Despite a team change and getting to work with Aaron Rodgers last season, Graham finished as the 12th ranked tight end come year’s end after starting in 12 games for Green Bay. But Graham regressed from his 2017 stat line as he underperformed in all statistical categories besides yards, finishing with 55 receptions, 636 yards, and two touchdowns. What is also very interesting is Graham had eight fewer touchdowns than he did in 2017.

Week-to-week Graham managed six top-12 weekly performances, but his highest weekly finish was only sixth place. This means there wasn’t much upside to Graham this year as the average score for a sixth ranked weekly tight end performance was just 13.3 points.

Looking Forward: Graham will be 32 years old and entering his second year in Green Bay with a new head coach. His ADP currently is in the 13th round (13.02), around the 15th tight end taken off the board. He could possibly be utilized differently and Graham is undoubtedly a very talented player, but he appears to be on the downside of his career. It’s also noteworthy that Green Bay’s last top-10 fantasy tight end was Jermichael Finley when he finished 8th in 2011. He’s on my list of players to avoid in 2019.

No. 4 Trey Burton (CHI)

Trey Burton was the beneficiary of a new contract in Chicago and was in line to step in as the starting tight end for an up-and-coming offense. Many bought into the hype that Burton might fill the Travis Kelce-type role in Matt Nagy’s offense. Even his ADP appeared to be related to this as he was the sixth tight end drafted in the middle of the sixth round (6.05).

Burton ended the season as the 8th ranked tight end. Now, this isn’t a major drop from his ADP, but the reason he is listed is due to the expectations that came with drafting him in 2018. He was, more often than not, picked over tight ends who had shown previous success like Kyle Rudolph, Evan Engram, Jack Doyle, and Delanie Walker (all were top eight at the position in 2017).

Despite the hype, Burton finished 2018 with 54 receptions, 569 yards, and six touchdowns. Week-to-week, Burton managed five top-12 weekly fantasy performances while starting in 16 games. At times, Burton did show signs of the talent that many were hoping for. However, he also only averaged around 35 yards a game. Burton also managed just three games with over four receptions and seven games with three or less receptions.

Looking Forward: Burton will be entering his second full season as a starter and Chicago appears to be finally clicking under Matt Nagy. His current ADP is in the ninth round (9.07) and the 11th overall tight end taken. In order to see an improvement he will need to get more targets, and more consistent targets as he tended to disappear at times. This is something that is difficult to predict or guarantee and with a limited field to choose from, you’re going to want to try and take away as much risk as possible. This is why I am avoiding Burton until he can show more consistency.