Aaron Hernandez is still the #2 TE in NE (1 Viewer)

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

Just got offered Dallas Clark and Collie for Hernandez, how the fantasy world has changed in 1 week. The worst part is, I'm actually considering rejecting it because I love Hernandez upside so much.

This says more about how bad the colts look than how good hernandez looked. That said, I might keep Hernandez too. That Colts offense looked rancid.

 

[aburt19]

So where do you rank these guys right now over TEs like Vernon Davis? Are they must starts every week?

The reason these guys aren't in the top tier of TEs is that they're not the focus of their offense, which will lead to some inconsistency. I'm not going to try to rank them vs V.Davis, but note that he still went 5 for 47 in a week where his entire offense only threw for 124 yards. This might be close to Davis' floor, and the Pat TE's collective ceiling.

The probllem with Davis is that 124 yards passing may be about average for the 49ers with Smith as the QB. Smith being the QB does have a seriousdetrimental effect on Davis' ceiling.

 

[Tony Reali]

I'm in a PPR league and have Witten and Hernandez. I only have a W/R flex spot, so one of these 2 will be on the bench every week. I know someone wants a TE and I desperately need a WR, so should I go ahead and try to deal Hernandez high, or keep him and deal Witten and maybe get more for the name recognition and past production?

 

[Ghost Rider]

I'm in a PPR league and have Witten and Hernandez. I only have a W/R flex spot, so one of these 2 will be on the bench every week. I know someone wants a TE and I desperately need a WR, so should I go ahead and try to deal Hernandez high, or keep him and deal Witten and maybe get more for the name recognition and past production?

Witten is obviously a proven stud and is more likely to fetch more in a trade, than Hernandez, whom many might be wary of overpaying for. I'd say see what you can get for both, and then figure out what is best for your team.

 

[gandalas]

I have Hernandez as my #2 behind Gates. Probably will NEVER start him until Gates gets hurt again or is on bye, but is a nice safety net for when that inevitably happens.

Got him for a Rookie 4th rounder in his rookie draft, so paid pretty much nothing for him.

Have Gronk in another league in which I paid a rookie 2nd rounder this year for him. Behind Finley in that league - will have to see going forward who to start, although Finley gets the position by default to begin the year.

 

[TheFanatic]

When everyone was grabbing the Gates, Finleys and Clarks in my 14 team PPR league, I waited back until the mid-late rounds and grabbed Hernandez (maybe even a few rds early based on ADP) but I knew I wanted him this year. Helps being a NE fan so I can watch and root for him but I think him and Gronk are both in for big years. Could easily see Hernandez getting 70-80 receptions this year.

Also everyone needs to stop arguing about Gronk and Hernandez. It is not a traditional offense so you can't view them as 1-2 on the depth chart etc. Liking Gronk or Hernandez doesn't mean the other will suck, not mutually exclusive. The Pats have gone to an almost exclusively 2-3 TE offense and I agree with others where you can classify them more as Gronk as TE #1/WR #3-4 with Hernandez as WR 2-3/TE 2. Hernandez is Dallas Clark and Gronk is well, not sure, just a physical freak.

Excellent point. Liking Gronk over Hernandez does not mean Hernadez isn't worth rostering and vice versa. In my standard scoring league, Gronk finished 5th and Hernandez 10th. I could see them doing the exact same thing this year or even switching spots. Even if Hernadez finishes 5th and Gronk 10th, doesn't make Gronk a slug. I think we should look at the zone vs. man deal with these guys this year and see if it was as predictive as it was last year...

 

[Run It Up]

When everyone was grabbing the Gates, Finleys and Clarks in my 14 team PPR league, I waited back until the mid-late rounds and grabbed Hernandez (maybe even a few rds early based on ADP) but I knew I wanted him this year. Helps being a NE fan so I can watch and root for him but I think him and Gronk are both in for big years. Could easily see Hernandez getting 70-80 receptions this year.

Also everyone needs to stop arguing about Gronk and Hernandez. It is not a traditional offense so you can't view them as 1-2 on the depth chart etc. Liking Gronk or Hernandez doesn't mean the other will suck, not mutually exclusive. The Pats have gone to an almost exclusively 2-3 TE offense and I agree with others where you can classify them more as Gronk as TE #1/WR #3-4 with Hernandez as WR 2-3/TE 2. Hernandez is Dallas Clark and Gronk is well, not sure, just a physical freak.

Excellent point. Liking Gronk over Hernandez does not mean Hernadez isn't worth rostering and vice versa. In my standard scoring league, Gronk finished 5th and Hernandez 10th. I could see them doing the exact same thing this year or even switching spots. Even if Hernadez finishes 5th and Gronk 10th, doesn't make Gronk a slug. I think we should look at the zone vs. man deal with these guys this year and see if it was as predictive as it was last year...

It was a complete nonpoint yesterday. There was maybe 20 plays where gronk and aaron werent both on the field. 7 and 8 receptions respectively, targeted gronk early on in the game alot in the middle of the field he dragged in some great passes. Hernandez started getting a lot of looks in the 2nd half he blew up whatever corner he was on, they guy was gassed for that entire drive and they exploited it.Curious to see if the pats continue this scheme, almost 50% no huddle keeping welker and the TEs and woodhead on the field rotating in branch and ocho, moving the ball effortlessly. Lost their center for a while, but Solder stepper up and looked amazing.

 

[parrot]

When everyone was grabbing the Gates, Finleys and Clarks in my 14 team PPR league, I waited back until the mid-late rounds and grabbed Hernandez (maybe even a few rds early based on ADP) but I knew I wanted him this year. Helps being a NE fan so I can watch and root for him but I think him and Gronk are both in for big years. Could easily see Hernandez getting 70-80 receptions this year.

Also everyone needs to stop arguing about Gronk and Hernandez. It is not a traditional offense so you can't view them as 1-2 on the depth chart etc. Liking Gronk or Hernandez doesn't mean the other will suck, not mutually exclusive. The Pats have gone to an almost exclusively 2-3 TE offense and I agree with others where you can classify them more as Gronk as TE #1/WR #3-4 with Hernandez as WR 2-3/TE 2. Hernandez is Dallas Clark and Gronk is well, not sure, just a physical freak.

Excellent point. Liking Gronk over Hernandez does not mean Hernadez isn't worth rostering and vice versa. In my standard scoring league, Gronk finished 5th and Hernandez 10th. I could see them doing the exact same thing this year or even switching spots. Even if Hernadez finishes 5th and Gronk 10th, doesn't make Gronk a slug. I think we should look at the zone vs. man deal with these guys this year and see if it was as predictive as it was last year...

It was a complete nonpoint yesterday. There was maybe 20 plays where gronk and aaron werent both on the field. 7 and 8 receptions respectively, targeted gronk early on in the game alot in the middle of the field he dragged in some great passes. Hernandez started getting a lot of looks in the 2nd half he blew up whatever corner he was on, they guy was gassed for that entire drive and they exploited it.Curious to see if the pats continue this scheme, almost 50% no huddle keeping welker and the TEs and woodhead on the field rotating in branch and ocho, moving the ball effortlessly. Lost their center for a while, but Solder stepper up and looked amazing.

Out of 80 offensive plays, the Pats had at least 2 tight ends on 65 of them. Gronk played 75 snaps, Hernandez 66.

 

[JamesTheScot]

When everyone was grabbing the Gates, Finleys and Clarks in my 14 team PPR league, I waited back until the mid-late rounds and grabbed Hernandez (maybe even a few rds early based on ADP) but I knew I wanted him this year. Helps being a NE fan so I can watch and root for him but I think him and Gronk are both in for big years. Could easily see Hernandez getting 70-80 receptions this year.

Also everyone needs to stop arguing about Gronk and Hernandez. It is not a traditional offense so you can't view them as 1-2 on the depth chart etc. Liking Gronk or Hernandez doesn't mean the other will suck, not mutually exclusive. The Pats have gone to an almost exclusively 2-3 TE offense and I agree with others where you can classify them more as Gronk as TE #1/WR #3-4 with Hernandez as WR 2-3/TE 2. Hernandez is Dallas Clark and Gronk is well, not sure, just a physical freak.

Excellent point. Liking Gronk over Hernandez does not mean Hernadez isn't worth rostering and vice versa. In my standard scoring league, Gronk finished 5th and Hernandez 10th. I could see them doing the exact same thing this year or even switching spots. Even if Hernadez finishes 5th and Gronk 10th, doesn't make Gronk a slug. I think we should look at the zone vs. man deal with these guys this year and see if it was as predictive as it was last year...

It was a complete nonpoint yesterday. There was maybe 20 plays where gronk and aaron werent both on the field. 7 and 8 receptions respectively, targeted gronk early on in the game alot in the middle of the field he dragged in some great passes. Hernandez started getting a lot of looks in the 2nd half he blew up whatever corner he was on, they guy was gassed for that entire drive and they exploited it.Curious to see if the pats continue this scheme, almost 50% no huddle keeping welker and the TEs and woodhead on the field rotating in branch and ocho, moving the ball effortlessly. Lost their center for a while, but Solder stepper up and looked amazing.

It's brilliant. Show a 2 TE set so the D brings in some big bodies and then you pass constantly out of the no-huddle watching the big bodies suck air and get slower as the drive progresses.

 

[JamesTheScot]

When everyone was grabbing the Gates, Finleys and Clarks in my 14 team PPR league, I waited back until the mid-late rounds and grabbed Hernandez (maybe even a few rds early based on ADP) but I knew I wanted him this year. Helps being a NE fan so I can watch and root for him but I think him and Gronk are both in for big years. Could easily see Hernandez getting 70-80 receptions this year.

Also everyone needs to stop arguing about Gronk and Hernandez. It is not a traditional offense so you can't view them as 1-2 on the depth chart etc. Liking Gronk or Hernandez doesn't mean the other will suck, not mutually exclusive. The Pats have gone to an almost exclusively 2-3 TE offense and I agree with others where you can classify them more as Gronk as TE #1/WR #3-4 with Hernandez as WR 2-3/TE 2. Hernandez is Dallas Clark and Gronk is well, not sure, just a physical freak.

Excellent point. Liking Gronk over Hernandez does not mean Hernadez isn't worth rostering and vice versa. In my standard scoring league, Gronk finished 5th and Hernandez 10th. I could see them doing the exact same thing this year or even switching spots. Even if Hernadez finishes 5th and Gronk 10th, doesn't make Gronk a slug. I think we should look at the zone vs. man deal with these guys this year and see if it was as predictive as it was last year...

It was a complete nonpoint yesterday. There was maybe 20 plays where gronk and aaron werent both on the field. 7 and 8 receptions respectively, targeted gronk early on in the game alot in the middle of the field he dragged in some great passes. Hernandez started getting a lot of looks in the 2nd half he blew up whatever corner he was on, they guy was gassed for that entire drive and they exploited it.Curious to see if the pats continue this scheme, almost 50% no huddle keeping welker and the TEs and woodhead on the field rotating in branch and ocho, moving the ball effortlessly. Lost their center for a while, but Solder stepper up and looked amazing.

Out of 80 offensive plays, the Pats had at least 2 tight ends on 65 of them. Gronk played 75 snaps, Hernandez 66.

So that means at least 61 of those 80 plays were 2 TE sets?

 

[matttyl]

When everyone was grabbing the Gates, Finleys and Clarks in my 14 team PPR league, I waited back until the mid-late rounds and grabbed Hernandez (maybe even a few rds early based on ADP) but I knew I wanted him this year. Helps being a NE fan so I can watch and root for him but I think him and Gronk are both in for big years. Could easily see Hernandez getting 70-80 receptions this year.

Also everyone needs to stop arguing about Gronk and Hernandez. It is not a traditional offense so you can't view them as 1-2 on the depth chart etc. Liking Gronk or Hernandez doesn't mean the other will suck, not mutually exclusive. The Pats have gone to an almost exclusively 2-3 TE offense and I agree with others where you can classify them more as Gronk as TE #1/WR #3-4 with Hernandez as WR 2-3/TE 2. Hernandez is Dallas Clark and Gronk is well, not sure, just a physical freak.

Excellent point. Liking Gronk over Hernandez does not mean Hernadez isn't worth rostering and vice versa. In my standard scoring league, Gronk finished 5th and Hernandez 10th. I could see them doing the exact same thing this year or even switching spots. Even if Hernadez finishes 5th and Gronk 10th, doesn't make Gronk a slug. I think we should look at the zone vs. man deal with these guys this year and see if it was as predictive as it was last year...

It was a complete nonpoint yesterday. There was maybe 20 plays where gronk and aaron werent both on the field. 7 and 8 receptions respectively, targeted gronk early on in the game alot in the middle of the field he dragged in some great passes. Hernandez started getting a lot of looks in the 2nd half he blew up whatever corner he was on, they guy was gassed for that entire drive and they exploited it.Curious to see if the pats continue this scheme, almost 50% no huddle keeping welker and the TEs and woodhead on the field rotating in branch and ocho, moving the ball effortlessly. Lost their center for a while, but Solder stepper up and looked amazing.

Out of 80 offensive plays, the Pats had at least 2 tight ends on 65 of them. Gronk played 75 snaps, Hernandez 66.

How were there "80 offensive plays"? I count only 71. 48 pass attempts, and 22 rushing plays and 1 sack. This is verified here (on the bottom) - http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2011091200/2011/REG1/patriots@dolphins#menu=highlights&tab=analyze

So, how did Gronk get 75 snaps out of 71 offensive plays?! Is he really that good!!?!

 

[RUSF18]

When everyone was grabbing the Gates, Finleys and Clarks in my 14 team PPR league, I waited back until the mid-late rounds and grabbed Hernandez (maybe even a few rds early based on ADP) but I knew I wanted him this year. Helps being a NE fan so I can watch and root for him but I think him and Gronk are both in for big years. Could easily see Hernandez getting 70-80 receptions this year.

Also everyone needs to stop arguing about Gronk and Hernandez. It is not a traditional offense so you can't view them as 1-2 on the depth chart etc. Liking Gronk or Hernandez doesn't mean the other will suck, not mutually exclusive. The Pats have gone to an almost exclusively 2-3 TE offense and I agree with others where you can classify them more as Gronk as TE #1/WR #3-4 with Hernandez as WR 2-3/TE 2. Hernandez is Dallas Clark and Gronk is well, not sure, just a physical freak.

Excellent point. Liking Gronk over Hernandez does not mean Hernadez isn't worth rostering and vice versa. In my standard scoring league, Gronk finished 5th and Hernandez 10th. I could see them doing the exact same thing this year or even switching spots. Even if Hernadez finishes 5th and Gronk 10th, doesn't make Gronk a slug. I think we should look at the zone vs. man deal with these guys this year and see if it was as predictive as it was last year...

It was a complete nonpoint yesterday. There was maybe 20 plays where gronk and aaron werent both on the field. 7 and 8 receptions respectively, targeted gronk early on in the game alot in the middle of the field he dragged in some great passes. Hernandez started getting a lot of looks in the 2nd half he blew up whatever corner he was on, they guy was gassed for that entire drive and they exploited it.Curious to see if the pats continue this scheme, almost 50% no huddle keeping welker and the TEs and woodhead on the field rotating in branch and ocho, moving the ball effortlessly. Lost their center for a while, but Solder stepper up and looked amazing.

Out of 80 offensive plays, the Pats had at least 2 tight ends on 65 of them. Gronk played 75 snaps, Hernandez 66.

How were there "80 offensive plays"? I count only 71. 48 pass attempts, and 22 rushing plays and 1 sack. This is verified here (on the bottom) - http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2011091200/2011/REG1/patriots@dolphins#menu=highlights&tab=analyze

So, how did Gronk get 75 snaps out of 71 offensive plays?! Is he really that good!!?!

Are penalties counted there?

 

[parrot]

When everyone was grabbing the Gates, Finleys and Clarks in my 14 team PPR league, I waited back until the mid-late rounds and grabbed Hernandez (maybe even a few rds early based on ADP) but I knew I wanted him this year. Helps being a NE fan so I can watch and root for him but I think him and Gronk are both in for big years. Could easily see Hernandez getting 70-80 receptions this year.

Also everyone needs to stop arguing about Gronk and Hernandez. It is not a traditional offense so you can't view them as 1-2 on the depth chart etc. Liking Gronk or Hernandez doesn't mean the other will suck, not mutually exclusive. The Pats have gone to an almost exclusively 2-3 TE offense and I agree with others where you can classify them more as Gronk as TE #1/WR #3-4 with Hernandez as WR 2-3/TE 2. Hernandez is Dallas Clark and Gronk is well, not sure, just a physical freak.

Excellent point. Liking Gronk over Hernandez does not mean Hernadez isn't worth rostering and vice versa. In my standard scoring league, Gronk finished 5th and Hernandez 10th. I could see them doing the exact same thing this year or even switching spots. Even if Hernadez finishes 5th and Gronk 10th, doesn't make Gronk a slug. I think we should look at the zone vs. man deal with these guys this year and see if it was as predictive as it was last year...

It was a complete nonpoint yesterday. There was maybe 20 plays where gronk and aaron werent both on the field. 7 and 8 receptions respectively, targeted gronk early on in the game alot in the middle of the field he dragged in some great passes. Hernandez started getting a lot of looks in the 2nd half he blew up whatever corner he was on, they guy was gassed for that entire drive and they exploited it.Curious to see if the pats continue this scheme, almost 50% no huddle keeping welker and the TEs and woodhead on the field rotating in branch and ocho, moving the ball effortlessly. Lost their center for a while, but Solder stepper up and looked amazing.

Out of 80 offensive plays, the Pats had at least 2 tight ends on 65 of them. Gronk played 75 snaps, Hernandez 66.

How were there "80 offensive plays"? I count only 71. 48 pass attempts, and 22 rushing plays and 1 sack. This is verified here (on the bottom) - http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2011091200/2011/REG1/patriots@dolphins#menu=highlights&tab=analyze

So, how did Gronk get 75 snaps out of 71 offensive plays?! Is he really that good!!?!

Are penalties counted there?

Yeah, it includes penalties. Mike Reiss runs it down on his Pats blog every game.

2 WR/2 TE/1 RB -- 51 of 80

3 WR/1 TE/1 RB -- 15 of 80

1 WR/3 TE/1 RB -- 12 of 80

3 TE/1 FB/1 RB -- 2 of 80

(Includes defensive offisde penalty, illegal formation penalty, false start penalty, 12 men on the field penalty, false start penalty, encorachment penalty, holding penalty and false start penalty.)

QB Tom Brady -- 80 of 80

TE Rob Gronkowski -- 75 of 80

WR Wes Welker -- 67 of 80

TE Aaron Hernandez -- 66 of 80

WR Deion Branch -- 62 of 80

RB Danny Woodhead -- 58 of 80

RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis -- 22 of 80

TE Dan Gronkowski -- 21 of 80

WR Chad Ochocinco -- 18 of 80

WR Julian Edelman -- 6 of 80

WR Matthew Slater -- 3 of 80

FB Dane Fletcher -- 2 of 80

(Includes defensive offisde penalty, illegal formation penalty, false start penalty, 12 men on the field penalty, false start penalty, encorachment penalty, holding penalty and false start penalty.)

 

[matttyl]

Not sure about penalties. I normally just add pass attempts to rushing attempts and add in any sacks as they technically aren't either. That gets me to 71. I would think that a penalty wouldn't be counted as a play (and thus not as a snap), right?

 

[parrot]

Not sure about penalties. I normally just add pass attempts to rushing attempts and add in any sacks as they technically aren't either. That gets me to 71. I would think that a penalty wouldn't be counted as a play (and thus not as a snap), right?

I'm just quoting what Reiss puts on his blog. I thought people might find it informative. I'm not going to overanalyze it myself because it really doesn't change the point; Gronk and Hernandez are both on the field a lot.

 

[RUSF18]

Not sure about penalties. I normally just add pass attempts to rushing attempts and add in any sacks as they technically aren't either. That gets me to 71. I would think that a penalty wouldn't be counted as a play (and thus not as a snap), right?

I'm just quoting what Reiss puts on his blog. I thought people might find it informative. I'm not going to overanalyze it myself because it really doesn't change the point; Gronk and Hernandez are both on the field a lot.

Thanks, it is informative. There's a lot of things you can learn that may not show up in the box score and count for your fantasy team that adds to the information pile. If a defensive PI is called on the guy covering one of my WRs 40 yards downfield, I want to know about it. Or sticking to this thread...that 40 yard pass play to Gronk right up the seam that was negated because Ochocinco doesn't know how to line up correctly.

 

[hoopvillian]

Not sure if you guys have gone over this yet but... What are the odds Hernandez loses snaps as the season goes on IF they decide to integrate Ochocinco into the gameplan more often? Or are they mutually exclusive?

If it's Hernandez and Ocho switching lining up I'd think that's the likely scenario. They didn't get Ocho just to sit him on the bench all season.

 

[bulger2holt]

Not sure if you guys have gone over this yet but... What are the odds Hernandez loses snaps as the season goes on IF they decide to integrate Ochocinco into the gameplan more often? Or are they mutually exclusive?If it's Hernandez and Ocho switching lining up I'd think that's the likely scenario. They didn't get Ocho just to sit him on the bench all season.

Ocho sux and Hernandez does not

 

[David Yudkin]

Not sure if you guys have gone over this yet but... What are the odds Hernandez loses snaps as the season goes on IF they decide to integrate Ochocinco into the gameplan more often? Or are they mutually exclusive?If it's Hernandez and Ocho switching lining up I'd think that's the likely scenario. They didn't get Ocho just to sit him on the bench all season.

IMO, the only thing that matters is how many targets he gets. If he plays 50 snaps and gets 10 targets that should be better than playing 80 snaps with 6 targets.I think each game will feature a tailored game plan for that week's opponent, so it will be hard to have a totally clear picture.

 

[California]

In leagues where TE and WR can both be considered WR for lineup purposes, how would you view Hernandez? Every week starter? WR2?

 

[pollardsvision]

In leagues where TE and WR can both be considered WR for lineup purposes, how would you view Hernandez? Every week starter? WR2?

Hard to tell, but Brady looks like he's on a mission and seems to trust 4 pass catchers. 2 of those are 30+ and injury prone.I'd call Hernandez a solid WR3 even if there are no injuries, with upside that I wouldn't even want to predict if there was an injury elsewhere.

 

[RUSF18]

In leagues where TE and WR can both be considered WR for lineup purposes, how would you view Hernandez? Every week starter? WR2?

I think it's too soon to tell, although I'll caution that I think WR2 is too high for either guy, even best case scenario. Last year, both guys were very up and down and we need to see how they both play over the course of a few games where their QB isn't throwing for over 500 yards.

 

[California]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm pretty thin at WR and since we don't have dedicated TE spots only the top 5 or 6 were drafted. Hernandez, Gronk, Jimmy Graham were all available on waivers. I think having any or all of them as my WR4-6 would be more useful than the likes of Denarius Moore, Aurelious Benn, etc?

 

[Daywalker]

Just got offered Dallas Clark and Collie for Hernandez, how the fantasy world has changed in 1 week. The worst part is, I'm actually considering rejecting it because I love Hernandez upside so much.

This says more about how bad the colts look than how good hernandez looked. That said, I might keep Hernandez too. That Colts offense looked rancid.

Not saying Clark for Hernandez is a bad offer. But would take me about 2 seconds to reject.

 

[griff321]

Not sure if you guys have gone over this yet but... What are the odds Hernandez loses snaps as the season goes on IF they decide to integrate Ochocinco into the gameplan more often? Or are they mutually exclusive?If it's Hernandez and Ocho switching lining up I'd think that's the likely scenario. They didn't get Ocho just to sit him on the bench all season.

It seems like they were doing a ton of no-huddle with two WRs and two TE and a single back and Branch and Ocho seemed to rotate. Sometimes they came out with no backs and 3 WRs, but not so much and even then they'd have two TEs. Miami is not that bad of a D and the pats had them on the ropes bad in the second half.

 

[ponchsox]

Gronk owners should be licking their chops against Buffalo next week.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Gronk owners should be licking their chops against Buffalo next week.

The Bills secondary just got carved up by Jason Campbell and a bunch of nobodies at WR. I would think any NE player who catches passes would be a must-start next week. As a Bills fan, this makes me sad, but as a Gronkowski owner it eases my pain a bit.