Rob Gronkowski is not the best Fantasy choice for most players, and I simply do not believe that he will make it through the season without getting hurt. He is injury-prone, and he could miss significant portions of the season. I think that it would be unwise to allow Gronkowski to be a large part of your fantasy roster, and I simply cannot allow myself to think he will be on the Patriots' roster for the whole season.
Why does he get hurt all the time?
He gets hurt for the same reason every other player in the NFL gets hurt -- the NFL is dangerous.
Gronkowski simply gets into more dangerous situations than most people, and players will hit him extremely hard because he is so big and powerful. The two players think that their hits will balance out, but they do not. Gronkowski gets hurt more often than not because of bad luck and the sheer number of hits he is willing to take. This is something like the Michael Vick syndrome that saw him running on too many plays, and he was hurt often because he was putting himself at risk too much. Steve Young learned how to stop running, but Gronkowski has not learned to just go to the ground.
Use him as a receiver
Gronkowski is a receiver as it is, and he is used as a receiver more often than not. I am simply suggesting that he should be kept out of the slot because he is getting hurt on these major hits that happen in that part of the field.
There are slot receivers who can slide when they catch the ball, or they will simply go to the ground. Gronkowski will not, and that is where he will get hurt again. I think Josh McDaniels has figured this out, but it is difficult for him to avoid the sheer desire to use Gronkowski as his main offensive weapon.
Cut back on his plays
He is a two-down guy who must be on the field less and less. The Patriots should find a way to maximize the snaps where he is on the field, or they should use him as a decoy more of the time. He will not be hit as often if he is not the focus of every play, and they must teach him how to hit the ground once he has the ball.
The Patriots' offense will score more than enough even if he is used in this new way, and I hope that they are willing to follow this plan because it will keep him healthier than he has ever been.
Change before trust
I want to see the Patriots change how they use Rob so that I can trust them with their best player. Playing fantasy football and trying to enjoy the season is difficult if you are waiting for someone to get hurt because you know it is bound to happen.
