Fantasy Football: 6 Must-Have Players for 2017

Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots

If you’re going to go all-in on Brady, it makes sense that one of his weapons should probably be on your list of players to target. And for me, Gronk's price finally feels more palatable, given his injury risk.

While I think the greater fantasy community is aware that the tight end is a good player, I’m not sure a majority recognize how truly dominant he has been -- and that's compared to wide receivers as well.

In the four games Gronk finished last season, his worst statistical output was 4 receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown. He has finished with double-digit touchdowns in five of his seven seasons in the league, which is every time he has played more than 10 games. In his last full season (2015), he had 82 receptions for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns, giving him 184 fantasy points. For perspective, that's 48 points more than 2016 tight end leader Travis Kelce, and it would have ranked him fifth at the wide receiver position last year.

If we're entertaining the idea of an historic Brady campaign, it’s worth remembering Gronk's 2011 season of 90 catches for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns. That's one heck of a ceiling. His 240 fantasy points that year is by far the highest output by a tight end since the turn of the century, and only Jimmy Graham in 2013 has exceeded 200 fantasy points (217).

While his 2016 was cut short, he still finished with a higher Reception NEP (50.25) on 25 receptions than sleeper favorite Jack Doyle (42.78) on 59 receptions. In 2015, he had a Reception NEP of 105.13 on 120 targets, which would have been a higher total than any 2016 receiver with less than 150 targets not named Julio Jones. Compare him to whatever position you want -- when Gronk plays, he is a league winner.

Additionally, we saw Gronkowski used in a different role last season, acting as New England's down-the-field weapon more than just on intermediate routes over the middle. While the sample size was only 25 receptions, he averaged 21.6 yards per reception -- a staggering number for a tight end -- and over five yards more than his previous career high of 16.3. That average would put him on pace to not only challenge the tight end record for receiving yards in a season, but could boost him into the top receiving yardage player at any position in 2017.

So it really comes down to risk tolerance. Do you have the stomach to take Gronkowski at his second-round price knowing the risk with which he comes? For me, that's an easy yes. In addition to gaining a significant positional advantage versus almost every other team in your league, his scoring output will mirror any receiver you take in that range. With the potential for an historic year in New England, I want in on their best players, especially when I might not have to take them in the first round.