Fantasy Football: If active, start Rob Gronkowski in Week 1
By Bruce Matson
Jul 24, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) runs through drills during training camp at the team practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
Week 1 is upon us, and I have seen a lot of fantasy owners perplexed on whether to start oft injured New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski or or not.
Gronkowski tore his ACL last season and had it surgically repaired in January. Gronk told the media that he feels great and would be ready to play on Sunday, but Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is not commenting on the status of Gronkowski’s injury status.
Jul 24, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) runs through drills during training camp at the team practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
Belichick is limiting his star tight end during practice, and is inferring that Gronk is going to be limited in the amount of snaps he gets to play.
Gronkowski is currently and is traveling with the team to Miami, (and listed as questionable) for Sunday’s 1 p.m. game against the Miami Dolphins. If Gronkowski plays he will most likely be limited on how many snaps he plays.
Gronkowski has played 50 games for the Patriots since 2010 and during those 50 games he has scored 44 touchdowns and averaging 4.52 receptions a game during that time frame.
Last year, during the seven games Gronkowski played (the 7th game he left early) he had 39 receptions for 592 yards and four touchdowns if he would have finished the season his numbers would have prorated for 84 receptions 1,014 yards and nine TDs.
That’s averaging more than 13 fantasy points a game in PPR (point per reception), which is dominate for a tight end and creates an advantage for you at the tight end position.
What I would do: I would keep my ears pinned to the TV or computer during Sunday’s pregame shows to if Gronkowski is going to play.
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I would have another TE on my roster as a “Plan B” just in case Gronkowski is inactive
I’m not worried about Gronkowski playing limited snaps, because even if he only gets 10 targets, four of them are more than likely are going to be by the goal line.
He is highly likely to score a touchdown even if he is playing a limited amount of snaps. A touchdown will have him scoring more fantasy points then a lot of the tight ends playing more snaps this week, which would validate starting him.
There isn’t a TE in the league with as much up side as him. If Belichick is just playing mind games with the media with Gronk’s availability and he gets a full workload then you are going to cash in on his fantasy production.
Here are some words to remember when setting your fantasy rosters that applies to your Gronkowski dilemma: “Start Your Studs.”
(I can be found on Twitter @bmatz08 if you need any lineup advice. I will be around all weekend to help you make the best decision for your team. Good luck this weekend!)