Rob Gronkowski, Delanie Walker 2 of NFL’s best tight ends

Fantasy Tip: Brady and TE Rob Gronkowski have favorable matchup against Titans, but New England running backs are tougher call.

That’s probably a good thing, because right now it’s anyone’s guess who will be lining up in the backfield in new England. New England leads the series, 22-15-1.

And it could get ugly again when Tennessee returns to Foxborough on Sunday.

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES – Patriots have beaten Titans five straight, including 17-14 divisional playoff victory in January 2004….

The Titans benefited earlier in the season from facing average quarterback competition.

Rob Gronkowski rumbles for extra yardage against the Texans. Bolden may wind up as the guy with James White playing a 3rd down role. No unit is on point more than the offensive line, which has been shaky at times in protection due to its own injury issues.

The last time these teams met was the 2012 season opener, and this writer missed the first half because of soccer practice (fun fact). If that happens, Brady should find plenty he likes against a team that has allowed opponents a combined 102 passer rating on the season and has given up 30-plus points in consecutive weeks. Mariota is the most gifted mobile QB in the National Football League, although he is a rookie.

In the back end it’s likely to be about a lot of zone coverages to try to confuse the rookie passer and keep a varied passing attack in check. Delanie Walker toils in relative obscurity in Tennessee despite catching more passes this season than any other tight end in the NFL. That means Duron Harmon and the safety position, which could be without banged up Pro Bowler Devin McCourty, will need to communicate and tackle well to avoid giving the downtrodden Titans life through the air.

It’s hard to believe that the Titans are battling for the No. 1 overall draft pick for the second year in a row. His 16.7 yards per catch is the highest mark of his career by 1.5 yards, and no tight end has completed a season with an average of 16.5 or better since Jacksonville’s Ernest Wilford in 2005 (16.6).

Mariota is bracing for the challenge that he will be facing this week against the complex Patriots system.

In 2015, Delanie Walker is having his best season yet. He followed the coaching staff’s plan to get him back into the feel of the game, and after suffering season-ending injuries in years past, Gronkowski now knows when to scale it back a bit if he has to. “I’m just really trying to get better as a player every week, just focusing on the team we have to play this week and just trying to do whatever is best for the team that week”. Jones needs to put some pressure on Mariota without allowing the rookie to get out in space where he’s capable of making big plays on the ground.