Fantasy Football Recap: 2008 Tight Ends (The Ugly)

At the end of every season we like to go back and recap how the players at each fantasy football position fared. And, as with every season, there’s always the good, the bad, and of course, the downright ugly ones.

In this installment of the third part of our yearly "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" series, we’ll take a look at the UGLY tight ends from a fantasy football point of view. 

--------------------  

1. Kellen Winslow (Cleveland Browns)

In notching 1,109 receiving yards and five TDs in 2007, it appeared that Winslow was finally ready to live up to the hype that surrounded him upon his arrival to the league. Thus, many fantasy owners went out of their way to nab the Browns tight end early, taking him on average in the fifth round of fantasy drafts—not too shabby for a man at his position.

The gamble though didn't pay off, as Winslow saw a steep decline in his numbers. The tight end hauled in just 43 of the 81 targets thrown his way for 428 yards and three scores on the year. Those numbers aren't too surprising considering Winslow missed six games on the year because of injury and illness.

The illness, by the way, was thought to be one of the swollen testicle varieties. You know it's an "ugly" year when there are discussions going on involving that precious package.

--------------------  

2. Jeremy Shockey (New Orleans Saints)

Addition by subtraction. That was the New York Giants' philosophy in regards to Pro Bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey this offseason as they unloaded the clubhouse distraction to the New Orleans Saints. The move prompted hysteria among fantasy owners, as they could only imagine the type of numbers Shockey would put up in the Saints' high-flying offense.

Shockey did a good job at staying out of the headlines in his first year as a Saint, though he might have done too good a job, as even his play couldn't make him part of the story. On the year, Shockey finished the season with 483 yards and no scores in 12 games, leaving him as the second most productive Saints tight end behind Billy Miller.

--------------------  

3. Todd Heap (Baltimore Ravens)

Quick note to all of those 2008 Heap owners out there: This is not an injury report, though with how often Heap appeared on the NFL's injury report this season, I don't blame you for thinking it might be.

Trying to bounce back from a subpar 2007 season that saw him play in just six games, Heap couldn't shake the injury bug again in 2008. However, this time around, injuries did not hold Heap out of games, as the tight end played in all 16 of the Ravens' affairs; they did, though, prevent him from being effective. On the year, Heap managed just one double-digit fantasy outing to nine outings of two or less fantasy points.

Be sure to let this fragile tight end be someone else's problem in 2009.

-------------------- 
TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, CLICK BELOW...

Fantasy Football Recap: 2008 Tight Ends (The Ugly)