2006 Fantasy Football Tiered Rankings: Tight Ends
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Depending on your league’s format, the tight end position can be a very important part of a team’s success. In leagues that require a starting TE, you may want to consider snatching up one of the studs early, or else try to find a gem or two late. A lot of NFL teams tend to ignore their tight ends, so it’s smart to focus on guys that are involved in the passing game.
Antonio Gates in unquestionably the #1 TE in any draft, even with the QB switch in San Diego from Drew Brees to Philip Rivers. There's a chance that Gates could see a slight decline in production with the untested Rivers behind center but there's been talk that Gates and Rivers worked out together in the offseason and already have a strong rapport on the field. Regardless, as good as Jeremy Shockey, Tony Gonzalez and Todd Heap are, Gates would top his position if Philip Seymour Hoffman were his QB.
Chris Cooley, on the other hand, could vault into the Shockey/Gonzo/Heap group this season. A surprising 2005 season has Cooley on several sleeper lists, and rightfully so. The 'Skins will get their young TE involved even more in 2006 and the upside is there for him to be a top-three guy as soon as this season.
If you miss out on the top guys, you may as well wait until the later rounds and roll the dice on someone like LJ Smith, Ben Troupe, Jerramy Stevens or, the Chosen One himself, Kellen Winslow. There's no point reaching for a mediocre TE just to fill a roster slot. Stockpile at other positions and take the best TE available after that.
NOTE: Numbers in parentheses represent Average Draft Position (ADP) from AntSports.com for drafts conducted 7/1-7/17. Any player rankings based on AntSports.com's High Performance Scoring system.
THE MAN
Antonio Gates, SD (3.03)
15 games, 89 rec, 1,101 rec yards, 10 TD
Far and away the most productive TE in 2005...the key for this season will be the play of new QB Phillip Rivers -- if the two can get in synch quickly, Gates will have another great season.
THE NEXT BEST THING
Jeremy Shockey, NYG (4.12)
15 games, 65 rec, 891 rec yards, 7 TD
Shockey only missed one game in 2005 and ended up as the #3 TE...if he can stay on the field, he and Eli Manning can be devastating.
Tony Gonzalez, KC (5.02)
16 games, 78 rec, 905 rec yards, 2 TD
Gonzo took a big step backwards last season, finishing as the #6 TE...still a big part of the KC attack, but it’s unclear how much new head coach Herm Edwards will lean on him.
Todd Heap, BAL (5.10)
16 games, 75 rec, 855 rec yards, 7 TD
Like Jeremy Shockey, the key for Heap is his health...when he’s playing, he’s great...he should jive well with Steve McNair, who loves to throw to his tight ends.
MID-ROUND VALUES
Chris Cooley, WAS (7.09)
16 games, 71 rec, 774 rec yards, 7 rec
Former KC offensive coordinator Al Saunders loves to use the TE, so Cooley should be able to build on a great 2005, when he was the #4 TE.
Jason Witten, DAL (7.02)
16 games, 66 rec, 757 rec yards, 6 TD
Witten was a mild disappointment last year, but should benefit some from the attention Terrell Owens will draw...Bill Parcells usually has good tight ends, so I expect Witten will have a bounce back year.
Alge Crumpler, ATL (6.08)
16 games, 65 rec, 877 rec yards, 5 TD
Since Mike Vick came into the league, his favorite target has been Crumpler...one of the best things about him is his consistency; he always manages to catch at least a few passes in each game...monitor his shoulder and knee problems, though.
NOT SO BAD
Randy McMichael, MIA (8.04)
16 games, 60 rec, 582 rec yards, 5 TD
After the top seven guys, McMichael is probably the most dependable TE remaining...won’t set the world on fire, but he’ll probably finish in the top 10.
L.J. Smith , PHI (8.12)
16 games, 61 rec, 682 rec yards, 3 TD
The good news is that Andy Reid has a section of his playcard that is dedicated to Smith...the bad news is that he doesn’t look at it enough. Without a proven #1 WR, the Eagles will have to lean on Smith even more.
SLEEPERS
Kellen Winslow, CLE (8.08)
No Stats
Winslow is back after a big motorcycle accident, and all of the news out of Cleveland has been good...a solid preseason would vault him ahead of McMichael and Smith.
Vernon Davis, SF (10.09)
No Stats
Davis was drafted to give Alex Smith a security blanket in the middle and the 49ers will be throwing a lot trying to catch up in games. (MORE: BE's athlete profile)
Jerramy Stevens, SEA (12.12)
16 games, 45 rec, 554 rec yards, 5 TD
Stevens was the #9 TE over the last half of the season...finally showed the kind of consistency at the position that Mike Holmgren has been looking for...the question is, will he carry that momentum into 2006?
Ben Troupe, TEN (12.11)
15 games, 55 rec, 530 rec yards, 4 TD
Like Stevens, Troupe had a great second half, putting up #3 TE numbers down the stretch...now that McNair is gone, will Troupe see as much action from Volek and Young?
Jermaine Wiggins, MIN (14.04)
16 games, 69 rec, 568 rec yards, 1 TD
Every year, Wiggins seems to outperform his draft position (he was the #11 TE last season) and he’s likely to do it again this year.
Heath Miller, PIT (9.11)
16 games, 39 rec, 459 rec yards, 6 TD
After four consecutive great games to close out the first half of the season, Miller petered out in the second half...Roethlisberger seemed to have good chemistry with his TE, so a solid sophomore year for Miller could be on the way.
Ben Watson, NE (10.05)
15 games, 29 rec, 441 rec yards, 4 TD
The Pats spread the ball around a lot, but with the loss of David Givens, they might target Watson a bit more.
Dallas Clark, IND (12.03)
15 games, 37 rec, 488 rec yards, 4 TD
Indy will probably throw more, but will they target Clark? And can he stay healthy for an entire season?
THE REST
Marcus Pollard, DET (undrafted)
16 games, 46 rec, 516 rec yards, 3 TD
Pollard was the #15 TE last season and Detroit’s offensive prospects are looking better, even though Mike Martz isn’t known for using his tight ends much...good value for a guy you can get in the final rounds.
Zach Hilton, NO (15.05)
15 games, 35 rec, 396 rec yards, 1 TD
Hilton was great down the stretch last year, posting #10 TE numbers over the last half of the season...Drew Brees is used to throwing to his TE, so Hilton should be a quality backup.
Alex Smith, TB (14.01)
16 games, 41 rec, 367 rec yards, 2 TD
Smith had two big games for the Bucs, but didn’t do much else the rest of the season...has the physical tools to be a good pass catching TE, but he seems to be the third or fourth option on most plays.
Marcedes Lewis, JAX (14.11)
No Stats
Tagged as an "Antonio Gates-type player," Lewis has lots of potential, but it’s hard for rookie TEs to make an impact in a run-oriented offense like Jacksonville’s.
Leonard Pope, ARI (15.01)
No Stats
Most scouts had Pope as the second- or third-best TE in the draft and he will give Kurt Warner a big target in the middle, only Warner isn’t known for throwing to his tight ends.