Bennett is coming off his best fantasy season, posting career highs across the board. Of course, the increase in opportunities led to a slight decline in his PPT average compared to his 2013 totals (1.60) ... that's what can happen with a larger level of volume. With Brandon Marshall now in New York, however, Bennett's value is on the rise overall. He'll be one of the first six tight ends drafted in 2015.

Witten has long been one of the elite tight ends in fantasy football, but he has seen his reception totals decline in each of the last three seasons. So while his 1.57 PPT average was tied for the second-best in his last four seasons, his decline in volume is the real tale of the statistical tape. At a position that's thinner than it's been in a long time, however, Witten will remain a No. 1 fantasy option.

Olsen is coming off the best fantasy campaign of his NFL career, posting 84 catches, 1,008 yards and 136.8 fantasy points, good for the fourth-best total in the league at the position. Despite his increase in targets and touches, Olsen's PPT has remained consistent over the last three years. In fact, he's averaged between 1.61 PPT and 1.66 PPT during that time. He's now a top-three tight end.

Graham has been one of the two best tight ends in fantasy football, finishing no worse than third in points at the position since 2011. There could be signs that his stats will slide, though, as he's coming off his worst PPT average in the last four seasons. A move from the pass-heavy Saints offense to a Seattle team that throws the football far less by comparison doesn't bode well for his totals either.

Fantasy fans looking for a breakout candidate at the tight end position should look no further than Kelce. While he did post 862 yards and five touchdowns in 2014, his reception total (67) didn't overwhelm. With the release of Anthony Fasano, though, Kelce projects to be an every-down player moving forward. If he can maintain his PPT average, imagine the numbers he could post with 80-plus catches in 2015!

Walker is coming off a season with career bests in receptions (63), yards (890) and fantasy points (113.0), all of which helped him finish 10th at the tight end position. He also posted a solid 1.79 PPT, which was better than the 1.55 PPT average he recorded in his first season with the Titans. While Walker isn't going to reach an elite level in fantasy land, he's still a low-end No. 1 option at the position.

One of the biggest surprises of last season was Gates, who resurrected his fantasy value with 821 yards and 12 touchdowns. That was the second-highest number of scores he's had during his Hall-of-Fame career. The question now is, can he do it again at age 35? Well, keep this in mind ... in his previous three seasons (2011-2013), Gates averaged fewer than 1.90 PPT twice and didn't break the two-point mark.

Gronk smash! The unquestioned No. 1 tight end in fantasy football, Gronkowski has averaged no fewer than 2.16 PPT over the last four seasons. What does that mean? Well, fantasy fans who draft the big man are almost guaranteed to receive a great return on their investment. In fact, the only thing that has stopped Gronkowski from smashing the competition during his five-year NFL career has been injuries.

Fleener's name listed in the top two might be a surprise to fantasy fans, but he finished sixth in points among tight ends last season despite catching just 51 passes. With a healthy Dwayne Allen back and veteran wideout Andre Johnson now in the mix, Fleener could be hard pressed to make such an impact in 2015. In fact, I still prefer Allen out of the two due to his end-zone prowess.

Thomas, a touchdown machine over the last two seasons in Denver, led all tight ends in PPT average in 2014. That's due in large part to the fact that 28 percent of his receptions resulted in touchdowns. Now in Jacksonville, that percentage is likely to see a decline ... and a drastic one at that. In fact, going from Peyton Manning to Blake Bortles is enough to make Thomas a potential bust candidate moving forward.