One of the playmakers on Atlanta's offense that has gotten less love during this preseason leading up to this year's fantasy football season is Tony Gonzalez.
While much of the focus on Atlanta's fantasy potential has been on Julio Jones and Roddy White, the future Hall of Fame tight end should still be a consideration at his position.
NFL.com ranks Gonzalez as a top-10 fantasy tight end and fantasy owners could do much worse than having him on their team. While players like Jimmy Graham, Vernon Davis and Rob Gronkowski dominate the tight end headlines, Gonzalez still is able to produce in fantasy.
Last season the tight end finished with 875 receiving yards and more importantly, seven touchdowns. During somewhat limited action this preseason, Gonzalez has seven catches for 68 yards, averaging 9.7 yards per catch. He's yet to have a touchdown, but he has a long reception of 21 yards. Go Legit with an NFL.com Fantasy Football League
If you believe, like many do, the Falcons will open up the offense this season to feature the passing game a little more prominently, as they have during the preseason, it's not unrealistic to believe Gonzalez could produce similar numbers to what he recorded last season. The tight end is one of the few players whose age draws concern about an "imminent" drop off. Although 36 years old, he's been one of the most consistent players in league history, due in part to his tremendous approach to nutrition and health to ensure he stays on the field and involved.
If you miss out on one of the top three or four players at the position for this season, Gonzalez serves as a solid backup plan and one that could produce surprising results.
