Rob Gronkowski won’t be a top-10 fantasy tight end in Tampa

Yahoo Fantasy’s Liz Loza and Andy Behrens explain why they’re doubtful that the new Buccaneers tight end will find fantasy success despite teaming up with his old teammate Tom Brady. Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Football Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Video Transcript

ANDY BEHRENS: Gronk was one of those guys, like, really strong brand, really strong brand name. It's easy to-- it's easy to spill out the narrative of him and Tom Brady and how good they've been together and what that connection has meant, you know, over the last 10 years. Throughout NFL history, right, it's about as good a quarterback-tight end connection as there ever is-- there has ever been.

And then you-- and then you realize Gronk has had almost like-- by his own-- by his own estimation, he's had nine surgeries, most of them back surgeries, right? Like, he's taken a year off. He's dabbled in wrestling. He's come back. He's lost weight. He's going to have to gain weight, gain mass.

He was fine when last we saw him. He was a really good real-life player. He's probably still going to be one of the best blocking tight ends in the league. He has a ton of value in reality.

He was-- he was not an elite receiving tight end when last we saw him on the field, and I'm not going to-- I'm not going to expect a guy to be better. I don't think he's going to be vintage Gronk.

And I've seen a fair number of pieces out there that he's top-eight tight end for fantasy, that he's a top-10 tight end for fantasy, and there's just-- there's no way I'm going to draft him there. Like, I don't buy it.

I'd kind of throw Gronk closer to the Chris Herndon level where it's like maybe. Like we're probably going to get 550 yards. And, you know, there's this whole group of tight ends where, like, they're all going to get 550 yards, and some of them are going to score four touchdowns, and some of them are going to score eight. And that's going to swing where they fall in the fantasy ranks, and I think he's kind of in that pile of players. I don't-- think his days as, like, a sure-fire top-eight tight end are over.

LIZ LOZA: I just see a world where, like, Gronk starts the first six weeks of the season, scores, you know, in the first-- you know, three touchdowns over the first five contests and is on fire. And then as things start to level out, the grind of the season catches up with him. Rapport with other players develops. Chris Godwin's timing is just enough. And then all of a sudden he, you know, walks in-- he's like that Homer Simpson gif where he's just, like, going into the bushes a little bit.

Like, I don't-- I think that's why maybe you draft him. Maybe you draft him knowing that before Halloween, regardless of what he's putting up, you're going to have to move him.

ANDY BEHRENS: I love the scenario where Gronk really splashes early in the season and he's like a hero of September and you can-- and we can write some sell-high pieces on Gronk. Like, I think that's-- I think that's totally legit. That could very well happen.