Fantasy Football: Tom Brady, Thursday’s Top Performers

Sep 10, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) celebrates a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

If you were a part of a fantasy football draft, you likely saw Rob Gronkowski go in the Top 10. He fell to the Top 15 range in some drafts, but Gronk went as high as the Top 5 in many.

Week 1 was an illustration of why.

Whether or not Gronkowski posts the same amount of points as the top running backs or wide receivers, the drop-off from he to the next tight end is massive. That’s mainly because he produces like many of the top running backs and wide receivers.

In Week 1, Gronkowski pulled in five receptions for 94 yards and three touchdowns.

Gronk finished with 27 points in standard leagues and 32 under the point-per-reception format. It was a dominant outing from a player who has no trouble finding the end zone.

With his performance, Gronkowski tied Dez Bryant for the most receiving touchdowns by any player since 2010.

Next: The Secret Weapon