In the world of fantasy football, there hasn’t been a more consistent point producer at the tight end position than Tony Gonzalez. He has finished among the top five players at his position (based on fantasy points) in five of the last seven seasons, including each of the last two.

The veteran has also missed the top 10 just once in that time.

So, when word came down that Gonzalez was leaning toward retirement, it was expected to be a major loss in fantasy land. Luckily, the future Hall of Famer had a change of heart — on Tuesday, he told NFL Network contributor Jay Glazer that he will return for the 2013 campaign.

That helps a position that took a statistical nose dive this past season, as finding a relatively reliable starter was almost impossible. Aside from Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham, who are the two unquestioned top tight ends, Gonzalez should be drafted as a top-five option.

He’s fourth on my current board and could move up to third — and ahead of Aaron Hernandez — once we get closer to the summer months and training camp.

Gonzalez’s return is also good news for Matt Ryan, who will continue to have a reliable target in the middle of the field. His presence in the pass attack is also great for Julio Jones and Roddy White, who will continue to see similar coverages from opposing defenses.

Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to @Michael_Fabiano or send a question via Facebook!

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