2009 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings

The tight end position was just miserable last year from a fantasy football standpoint as only four tight ends (Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten, Dallas Clark, and Antonio Gates) surpassed the 100-point barrier.  Compare that to the 27 kickers to surpass the century mark last season, and that stat becomes even uglier.  However, help may be on the way, as there seems to be a handful of young tight ends on the rise in Owen Daniels, Greg Olsen, John Carlson, Zach Miller, Tony Scheffler, and Dustin Keller that should add depth to the position for many years to come.  Continue reading to find out where this latest batch of tight ends ranks in our downloadable Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets.

TIER 1

1. Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys (Bye: 6)

For the second season in a row, Jason Witten sits atop the Bruno Boys' preseason Tight End rankings, and for good reason.  In 2008, he put together a solid campaign, even while losing quarterback Tony Romo for three games and suffering some nagging injuries of his own.  Witten’s numbers were down some from 2007, but he still managed 81 catches for 952 yards and four touchdowns last season.

The Bruno Boys firmly believe that Witten should once again be a very productive tight end in 2009.  He has been one of Romo’s favorite targets over the past two seasons, as he has totaled 177 catches.  This is a trend that will likely continue this season, especially since the Cowboys released Terrell Owens, who was their top wide receiver.  Owens signed a free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills, leaving Dallas a little thinner at the wide receiver spot.  You can expect Witten to have another solid campaign and be the first tight end drafted in 2009.  If you want to own Witten, you are going to need to use a fourth round pick on him.

2. Tony Gonzalez – Atlanta Falcons (Bye: 4)

After 12 seasons as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Gonzalez will be switching NFL uniforms this season as he is now a member of the Atlanta Falcons.  Gonzalez, who in 2008 had 96 receptions for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns, was traded to the Falcons for a 2010 second round pick.  He enters the 2009 season as the NFL all-time tight end leader in receptions, yardage and touchdowns.

Gonzalez, who figured to be one of the top targets for quarterback Matt Cassel in Kansas City’s rebuilding offense, will now be one of the top targets for quarterback Matt Ryan in Atlanta’s highly explosive offense.  One thing that was missing from the Falcons’ offense in 2008 was a pass-catching tight end and a big red zone target.  Gonzalez will fill both roles and be a nice leader for a young offense in Atlanta.  He may not hit double-digit touchdowns for a second straight season, but he will likely have another very productive season and he will be one of the few tight ends drafted before the sixth round in most leagues.

3. Antonio Gates – San Diego Chargers (Bye: 5)

Antonio Gates could slip some in fantasy football drafts this year based on his totals from last season.  In 2008, he had just 60 receptions for 704 yards while finding the end zone eight times, which was his worst statistical season since his rookie year in 2003.  One thing Gates did show this year was some toughness as he managed to play in all 16 games while suffering from multiple injuries.  Gates had spent most of the off-season dealing with a toe injury that slowed him down early in the year, and then there was a mid-season hip injury before an ankle injury late in the year.

Gates is expected to be healthy for the 2009 season and the Bruno Boys feel that he once again deserves to be considered an elite fantasy tight end.  He is a big target who is a very gifted athlete.  A healthy Gates will very likely once again be the top target for Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers.  He is a huge red zone threat who should once again top 70 receptions while approaching double-digit touchdowns.  Gates will likely be selected in the fifth or early sixth rounds of fantasy football drafts this summer.

TIER 2

4. Dallas Clark – Indianapolis Colts (Bye: 6)

Over the past two seasons, Clark has really started to make a name for himself in the fantasy football world.  In 2007, Clark scored 11 touchdowns, but many owners did not want to spend a high draft pick on him because they did not believe he could have a repeat performance in 2008.  If you are looking at touchdowns alone, you would have been correct, but if you look at his entire body of work, you will see that Clark definitely belongs in the same breath with the elite tight ends in fantasy football.

Clark finished last season with 77 receptions for 848 yards and six touchdowns, which ranked him third statistically among fantasy tight ends.  Even with prolific wide receivers like Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison on the field, Clark has become one of quarterback Peyton Manning’s favorite targets.  He has increased his reception and yardage totals over the past two seasons, which is something the Bruno Boys feel could happen again in 2009, especially with Harrison no longer on the roster.  Clark has been an excellent red zone target for the Colts, totaling 17 touchdowns over the past two seasons. He should definitely be targeted as a TE1 in fantasy drafts this summer, drafted among the top five at the position.

TIER 3

5. Owen Daniels – Houston Texans (Bye: 10)
6. Chris Cooley – Washington Redskins (Bye: 8)
7. Kellen Winslow – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Bye: 8)

TIER 4

8. Greg Olsen – Chicago Bears (Bye: 5)
9. John Carlson – Seattle Seahawks (Bye: 7)
10. Zach Miller – Oakland Raiders (Bye: 9)

TIER 5

11. Dustin Keller – New York Jets (Bye: 9)
12. Visanthe Shiancoe – Minnesota Vikings (Bye: 9)
13. Jeremy Shockey – New Orleans Saints (Bye: 5)
14. Tony Scheffler – Denver Broncos (Bye: 7)

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2009 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings