We continue our rankings with tight ends. These rankings are for 12-team leagues, and a scoring system consisting of 6 pts per receiving TD, 1 point per 10 receiving yards and .5 points per reception. We combined our own individual rankings into one unified cheatsheet. Our personal player rankings are listed after each name.
Dalton = The first number listed after each name
Jeff = The second number listed
Robby = The last number listed
1. Antonio Gates (1, 1, 1)
2. Jeremy Shockey (2, 2, 2)
3. Tony Gonzalez (3, 3, 3)
4. Todd Heap (4, 4, 4)
5. Alge Crumpler (5, 7, 5)
6. Chris Cooley (6, 5,8)
7. Jason Witten (9, 6, 7)
8. Randy McMichael (10, 8, 6)
9. Heath Miller (7, 9, 10)
10. Vernon Davis (12, 10, 9)
11. Ben Watson (11, 11, 11)
12. L.J. Smith (8, 15, 12)
13. Kellen “Warrior” Winslow (14, 12, 13)
14. Ben Troupe (13, 14, 15)
15. Dallas Clark (17, 13, 16)
16. Jerramy Stevens (16, 16, 14)
17. Alex Smith (15, 18, NR)
18. Zach Hilton (NR, 17, 17)
19. Jermaine Wiggins (18, 19, 18)
20. Marcus Pollard (19, NR, 20)
21. Joe Klopfenstein (NR, NR, 19)
22. Marcedes Lewis (NR, 20, NR)
23. Erron Kinney (20, NR, NR)
Dalton Says: This is a year to wait on the tight end position. The pool is pretty deep, so the shrewd move would be to let others draft one high, while you wait and snag a Heath Miller-type much later on.
Speaking of Heath Miller, I really like his touchdown potential this year. He had an impressive rookie campaign (gaining more yards than Gates did in his first year) and is already the Steelers’ second best target behind only Hines Ward.
L.J. Smith is another guy I like who can be grabbed late in most drafts. Before McNabb went down, Smith was a top-five tight end last year. Now with T.O. gone, he might just be McNabb’s best option.
Say it with me now; stay away from rookie tight ends.
Jeff Says: Chris Cooley is in store for a big year, as he will constantly work in single coverage in Al Saunders’ offense.
The arrival of Drew Brees in New Orleans will be great for Zach Hilton. I like Hilton to put up solid numbers. Standing at a reported 6’8”, the Big Easy will be a red zone target.
With Bettis no longer a goal line hog, Heath Miller will get a handful of touchdowns from inside the five.
Marcedes Lewis will be a yardage machine for Jacksonville, taking over for Kyle Brady on passing downs.
At this point, anyone who takes Gonzo over Shockey watches too much ESPN.
Robby Says: I think the four through eight tight ends are all pretty comparable. Heap and McMichael should benefit from new and improved quarterbacks while Witten and Cooley (primarily Witten) should see a slight decrease in looks thanks to the arrival of additional receiving weapons to their teams.
If you’re into taking gambles, Kellen Winslow and Vernon Davis each have pretty big upsides and should improve as the season progresses, peaking right around fantasy playoff time.
L.J. Smith could probably be ranked a bit higher, considering Donovan McNabb, devoid of other good options, should be looking his way early and often this season.
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