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Fantasy football 'Do Not Draft' list: Gronk among players being drafted too early

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Tight end Rob Gronkowski, a future Hall of Famer, used to find his way onto this annual fantasy football "Do Not Draft" list because fantasy managers were a bit too eager to secure him to their teams, thinking that having the best player at a position meant everything. It surely did not. Indeed, Gronkowski used to be a fantastic, genuine talent, finishing as the No. 1 fantasy option at tight end four times, a truly dominant force when his body cooperated, handling a large target share, scoring myriad touchdowns and contributing to Super Bowl titles.

Things are hardly the same now. Gronkowski, now 31, was an ordinary, inefficient performer on the field in 2018, his body battered from years of heavy workloads and physical play -- and it's doubtful he simply sat on his couch, recuperating his body during his year off in 2019. Hey, it's quite a story as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reunite this talent with their new quarterback, Tom Brady, aiming to rekindle a successful Patriots partnership from the past, but fantasy managers have to see through this.