Week 9 - Tony Gonzalez had a surprisingly poor performance in week 8 against the Eagles, but he was a victim of gameplanning as the Falcons got out to an early lead. Gonzalez remains a must start top 5 fantasy TE this season heading into week 9, and we chalk up week 8 to a fluke.
Week 6 - Tony officially nabs the top TE spot heading into week 6, as he had a monster week against the Redskins last Sunday. He caught 13 passes for 123 yards and a TD. Keep Gonzalez active in all formats against the Raiders defense as he could easily duplicate his numbers from week 5.
CHARLOTTE, NC – DECEMBER 12: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrates with teammate Tony Gonzalez #88 after a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 12, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
Week 5 - Tony Gonzalez didn’t find the end zone in week 4 against the Panthers, but he still caught 5 passes for 51 yards. Keep T-Gone active in all formats heading into week 5 against the Redskins as a solid TE1.
Week 4 - As expected, Gonzalez is emerging as one of the steals of the draft at TE. He has averaged 13 fantasy points a week in standard scoring to this point, and faces the Carolina Panthers in week 4. Keep Tony active in all formats for this one.
Week 2 - Denver had one of the top ten defenses against TE in 2011, but we don’t expect that to slow down Tony Gonzalez and the Falcons in week 2. Start Gonzalez with confidence in the majority of formats for this week 2 matchup.
Week 1 – Tony Gonzalez and the Falcons will face the Chiefs in a much anticipated week 1 matchup, as fantasy owners are excited to see the uptempo passing attack of the Falcons. It will be a tough matchup for Gonzalez, as he faces a defense that only gave up 743 yards receiving to tight ends a year ago. Regardless, Gonzalez should be locked in as a starter in the majority of formats for week 1 of the season.
Preseason Analysis
2012 could very well be the last season for Tony Gonzalez, he signed a 1 yr/ $7 million deal in the offseason with the Atlanta Falcons, and he will once again contemplate retirement. Heading into 2012 he already holds many records in the NFL, including career receiving yards for a TE, career receptions for a TE, career TD for a TE, Most seasons with 1,000+ receiving yds for a TE(4), Most consecutive seasons with 50+ receptions(14 – 1998-2011) Initially in the preseason we weren’t sold on Gonzalez as a TE1 for 2012, but after viewing the new no-huddle Falcons offense, it stands to reason that Gonzalez can put up the same, if not slightly better numbers this season. We are now firmly on board with the hall-of-famer, and recommend him as a TE1 in most formats for the upcoming year.
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2009 stats – 16 games – 83 Receptions, 867 Yards(10.4 Average), 6 TD’s, 0 Fum
2010 stats – 16 games – 70 Receptions, 656 Yards(9.4 Average), 6 TD’s, 0 Fum
2011 stats – 16 games – 80 Receptions, 875 Yards(10.9 Average), 7 TD’s, 0 Fum
