Rob Gronkowski will 'for sure' be ready Week 1 for Patriots

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (back) said he will "for sure" be ready to play Week 1.

What It Means:

"No doubt," Gronkowski said when asked if he'll be ready for the start of the 2017 season. He's coming off at least his third back surgery since 2009 and turns 28 in May, but Gronkowski says retirement is not even remotely an option. Coming off a season where he averaged 21.6 yards per catch (25 catches) in eight games, Gronk remains an elite TE1 in fantasy leagues.

Gronkowski's 1.32 Reception Net Expected Points (NEP) per target last season were most among the 39 tight ends to see at least 35 targets on the year. That was significantly more than Dwayne Allen, who finished second with 0.95 Reception NEP per target.