Tight End Rankings

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer

As we continue to make the transition from baseball to football here at RotoScoop, numerous articles on rankings, team previews and much more will be on the way. Of course, we won’t completely ignore baseball, especially since this is basically the beginning of the stretch run. My tight end rankings follow:

1. Antonio Gates – Philip Rivers is only going to improve the more seasoned he gets, and he’s already pretty good. Gates might be the best red zone target in all of football and could even line up at WR more this season. There’s an outside chance he puts up numbers equivalent to a top-5 wideout. He’s worth reaching for.

2. Tony Gonzalez – He’s 31 years old and appears to be on the decline. Tony G. is also likely to be catching passes from a rookie, but that’s not always a terrible proposition for the tight end position. He no longer separates himself from the rest of the group in this tier.
3. Vernon Davis – Last year, he relied solely on physical tools while struggling to learn the playbook. This year, he becomes a monster. Davis is the ultimate combination of speed and power, and while his hands have failed him from time to time, they only figure to become more consistent. V.D. is all about upside.
4. Jeremy Shockey – It looks like Shockey is never going to become the superduperstar some had envisioned, and nagging injuries continue to slow him down at times, but he’s still a pretty good receiver. He led all TEs in goal line targets last year, so an increase in TDs is possible.
5. Todd Heap – Since Steve McNair can no longer throw a football more than 15 yards through the air, Heap is the main beneficiary. Like Jeremy Shockey, Heap is consistently hampered by injuries, but he’s about as safe of an option as you can find when he’s on the field.
6. Chris Cooley – Cooley’s numbers improved dramatically when Jason Campbell took over last season, and this is the same offense Al Saunders ran when Tony Gonzalez put up gaudy stats back in the day. He’s an excellent guy to target later on in drafts.
7. Ben Watson – The Patriots like to throw near the goal line and figure to do so with more frequency now that Corey Dillon is jettisoned. The acquisitions of Randy Moss and Dante Stallworth may mean more mouths to feed, but Tom Brady trusts Watson, and he might actually see increased looks with Daniel Graham gone. Watson has deceptive speed for his size and has the potential to finish the season as the second best tight end in fantasy football.

8. Jason Witten – After a disappointing 2006 campaign, Witten enters this year slightly undervalued. The main reason being the sudden decline in touchdown receptions, but that’s what happens when T.O. is your teammate. Once Tony Romo took over for Drew Bledsoe, Witten became fantasy relevant again, so expect more of the same in 2007.
9. Kellen Winslow – The reports have been more positive than I anticipated, but Winslow’s health is a big cause for concern entering the season. Despite the unsettled QB situation in Cleveland, Winslow has tremendous upside if fully healthy. But it’s a risk I’m willing to let someone else take.
10. L.J. Smith – If Donovan McNabb could be counted on to stay healthy for a full season, Smith would be higher on this list. As is, he’s a bottom tier TE1. He is playing for a contract, so maybe he’ll be extra motivated.
11. Alge Crumpler – Crumpler’s fantasy value took a major hit when Michael Vick took Bob Barker’s “help control the pet population” plea a little too far. Crump-diesel may still be starter-worthy, but Joey Harrington is nothing short of awful.
12. Heath Miller – After a promising rookie campaign, Miller was a huge disappointment last season, but that was in large part to how Pittsburgh used (or didn’t use) him and no fault of his own. This year, Bruce Arians opens up the passing attack, and Miller becomes a terrific sleeper at the position.
13. Randy McMichael – McMike is reunited with Scott Linehan, whom he enjoyed his finest seasons with. The Rams like to throw near the goal line more so than any team in football, so expect McMichael’s TDs to creep up.

14. Dallas Clark
15. Tony Scheffler
16. Owen Daniels
17. Daniel Graham
18. Desmond Clark
19. David Martin
20. Ben Troupe