Friday, August 13, 2010

Fantasy Football 2010 Preview--TE

We've already previewed the TE position on the PantsCast a few weeks back, but for those of you who still haven't tasted the delicious fruit of our podcasts, I'll lay it out for you here.

These tight end rankings are based on basic league settings (non-ppr) with 6 points for a touch down, one pt. per 10 yards rushed or received, and 1 pt. per 25 yards passed.

Top Dog: Antonio Gates
Lots of experts picked Dallas Clark as number one and he's a consistent top performer, but Gates has been as well and the Chargers are missing Vincent Jackson for at least three games. That means even more targets for Gates since he has the best connection with QB Philip Rivers of the guys that are actually playing. If ole Vincent misses more time or is traded, Gates could become the number one target for Rivers which means a huge season.

Grenade: Zach Miller
Jermichael Finley will have a monster season in Green Bay, but he's on everyone's darkhorse list, so I don't consider him a guy that could come out of nowhere and blow the league up (criteria for a grenade). If you want Finley, you're probably going to need to grab him right after the top guys go.

However, Miller is still lasting late in drafts. He was already a favorite in the passing game last year and now the Raiders have quarterback Jason Campbell who can actually get him the ball. Campbell made Chris Cooley a star in Washington and now he has outside receivers who can't catch and an offensive line that can't pass block for more than a nanosecond. The result will be many dumpoffs to Miller.

Torpedo: Owen Daniels
Beware the major knee surgery victim who claims he's ready to go the next season. Daniels is currently being drafted as the eighth tight end based on his production last year before the injury. I don't buy it. Any position that involves speed and quickness (receivers and backs) is not one you trust to a guy still working his way back into full shape. It's always the season after the return from surgery that usually works well for a player. So draft Daniels wherever you please next year, just no this one.

Desperation Pick: Chris Cooley
If you suddenly find that dreaded tight end run happens and leaves you as the only guy in your league without a tight end, you're probably going to have to throw a dart and hope it hits a decent guy. Cooley has been a reliable tight end for years, but a season ending injury ruined him last year. Now people are worried about backup Fred Davis stealing the catches, but Cooley has a big contract and he's not going to be shut out of the offense. New QB Donovan McNabb will throw to the tight end and Cooley should grab his share.

Rankings:

Antonio Gates
Dallas Clark
Vernon Davis
Jermichael Finley
Jason Witten
Brent Celek
Tony Gonzalez
Kellen Winslow
Zach Miller
Visanthe Shiancoe (Depending on Favre)
Chris Cooley
John Carlson
Owen Daniels
Dustin Keller
Heath Miller
Jermaine Gresham

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