Fantasy Football: Ranking the Tight Ends, Kickers, and Defenses

The tight end position never really gets a lot of respect. In many ways, stat lines read the same for most tight ends as they do for catchers – once you get outside the top-tier, they all seem virtually the same. Still, doing your homework on these guys can benefit your team in the end.

The keys are knowing who the receiving tight ends are as well as making sure you can tell who is generally targeted for touchdowns inside the 20. Different than in many past years, as many as nine tight ends could be considered remarkably productive options heading into this season. It’s getting one of those nine that is the key.

Most importantly, understand how to draft them. Antonio Gates is going to be the first tight end taken, and in most cases he is always drafted very early (third round in many cases). If you want him, you need to be willing to pay that type of value. As is the case for many of the players here, you can wait until the middle rounds to select a serviceable tight end for your squad. There is no need to rush into a tight end run, just be patient and wait it out.

Here’s how it breaks down:

1. Antonio Gates – There is no other way to describe him than as the best receiving tight end in the game. Gates’ stats can mirror many number one or two receivers in most leagues. Gates is highly valued, as well he should be. Expect north of 1,200 yards and eight or so touch downs.
2. Jason Witten – He’s not given as much respect as Gates, but has followed a similar line of production. The emergence of Tony Romo has created a solid niche for the tight end, as do most Bill Parcells-style offenses (we all remember Ben Coates, right?). Witten is a key cog and should repeat last year’s level of production of nearly 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns.
3. Kellen Winslow – He spent most of last season still recovering from the injuries he suffered in a motorcycle accident. Yet, he still managed to catch 82 passes and record over 1,000 yards to go with five touchdowns. As Derek Anderson goes, so will go the rest of this offense. Similar yardage is likely, but I think he’ll score two more times this season than last.
4. Dallas Clark – A tough call, mainly because we still don’t know the full impact of the knee injury that Manning is going to be dealing with. That said, it shouldn’t likely harm Clark’s production very much. Even if Jim Sorgi were to take over, Clark would be looked to as a safety net that would still rack up receptions, just fewer yards. In PPR leagues, this is still respectable. Clark is a favorite target in the red zone, recording 11 touchdowns last season. We’re calling 850 yards and ten more touchdowns.
5. Chris Cooley – Cooley is going to thrive in a simplified version of a West Coast offense. With a young starting quarterback, he’ll again be not just a primary target, but also an outlet receiver. Expect his numbers to be very close to last season, sporting 800 yards and eight touchdowns.
6. Heath Miller – Miller is a table favorite, probably because his last name is also a beer. Miller will see his role in Pittsburghexpand again this season, as it has in each of his first three. Without Bettis at the goal line, Miller will become a favorite of Roethlisberger. Look for him to improve his numbers to closer to 850 yards with six touchdowns.
7. Tony Gonzalez – He was once considered the gold standard of tight ends, but that has fallen off slightly in recent years. You could certainly argue we aren’t giving a perennial 1,000-yard receiver enough credit, and you could very well be right. That said, Gonzalez is entering the season virtually without a quarterback and with a top receiver emerging in Dwayne Bowe. Add to that, Larry Johnson should be back and healthy. Gonzalez will likely dip just below 1,000 yards and settle around five to six touchdowns.
8. Jeremy Shockey – Shockey is going to experience re-birth in New Orleans. He’ll have another top-flight quarterback and won’t be expected to take the type of punishment over the middle he had to deal with in New York. He’s a favorite red zone target as well. Look for him to creep close to 900 yards and grab seven touchdowns.
9. Todd Heap – The reason we have Gonzalez so low is also the reason we have Heap down here as well. Heap has struggled with injuries and now will be a full-fledged member of a quarterback carousel. These situations rarely pan out well for any receiver, let alone one who has become secondary in his team’s offense…or lack thereof.
10. Alge Crumpler – Crumpler was a fantastic fantasy tight end from his time in Atlanta and now brings that game to the Titans. Crumpler has been a favorite target early in camp and gives Vince Young a dump-down receiver that he hasn’t had in his time with the Titans. Crumpler will likely experience a boost in the numbers from last year. He’ll settle around 750 yards with five touchdowns.

Once you move outside the top-ten, the numbers become more blurred. There aren’t necessarily the tiers that are seen in the other positions, and many fewer clear-cut breaks in talent. The next ten or so would break down this way:

1. Tony Scheffler
2. Vernon Davis
3. Donald Lee
4. Ben Watson
5. Kevin Boss
6. Owen Daniels
7. Ben Utecht
8. Randy McMichael
9. Greg Olsen
10. L.J. Smith

Vernon Davis has all the potential, but has never been able to put it together. He doesn’t run routes very well and is stuck in the middle of an all out quarterback controversy. With no one really knowing who will win the battle and how that will impact the offense, it is wise to be cautious when looking at Davis.

Donald Lee came on strong last year as a healthy red zone threat. There is no reason to expect that to change with Rodgers at the helm. The benefit to all tight ends when it comes to young quarterbacks is that they become solid check down options, like running backs out of the backfield. Lee has that potential, should Green Bay not use too many extra-protect schemes.

Watson, Boss, and Daniels, to the fellas at the ‘Table, all fall into the same category. They could be lights-out one game and disappear for others. Watson has the pass-catching skills to be a deadly weapon for the Patriots, but can’t keep himself on the field. Add to that, the Patriots just have many other options.

Kevin Boss will get full-time looks in New Yorknow with Shockey out of the picture. Owen Daniels started to pick up steam as a hot name in the second half of last season. Both should gather some steam in the pre-season and carry that over to being serviceable players on all fantasy rosters.

From 16 to 20 are players that, for one reason or another, can’t get out of their own way. L.J. Smith is the president of that club. McNabb will look for Smith as a red zone option, but Westbrook is the primary in all those scenarios. Greg Olsen has no quarterback in Chicago.

Randy McMichael has plenty of talent, and shows flashes each and every season. He’s picked up and dropped more times than almost any other fantasy player. No one knows what the guy will do on a standard week, though. Ben Utecht has the chance in Cincinnati to be a great option for Carson Palmer, especially as the wide receiver position is…unpredictable.

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The last pieces to the puzzle come in the shape of kickers and defense. Honestly, we have very little to say about these positions. Why? Because they all rely heavily on matchups.

Going into the season, there are very few kickers or defensive teams that shouldn’t be cut in favor of a better play. When it comes to defenses, those teams are San Diego, New England (because of the weak AFC East), Seattle (because of the weak NFC West), Chicago (because they have to be good or the team will go 0-16), and the Giants. That’s the list.

Anyone else can be cut in favor of a good matchup. What’s a good matchup? Teams that are playing Miami, Arizona, San Francisco, Atlanta, Oakland, Minnesota (high turnover potential), and Detroit top the list. Weak offenses represent potential field days for even average defenses.

Making these moves will help win you weeks. Final points have to include to never draft more than one defense and to wait until the last two rounds to do it.

When it comes to kickers, there is no list. The best piece of advice here is to look for players that are facing teams giving up high point totals. Again, weak defensive teams come in to play here as much as weak offensive teams are the driver behind good defenses.

Stressing matchups here is the best advice you can have. There is not one kicker that has dominated the last several seasons more than any other, and the better kickers are older and coming back to reality in terms of totals.

We hope this position advice has helped, and we’ll check in with a full mock draft done by Bleacher Report experts in the next week or so.

Back as the need arises. Check out the full Roundtable Blog.