Fantasy Football Top 20 Tight Ends for 2010: Take Two

Luckily (knock on wood), there haven’t been any significant injuries to the top tight end options, but that doesn’t mean that our rankings remain static.  Let’s take a look at how our rankings currently sit:

1. Dallas Clark - Indianapolis Colts
2. Antonio Gates - San Diego Chargers
3. Vernon Davis - San Francisco 49ers
4. Jason Witten - Dallas Cowboys
5. Tony Gonzalez - Atlanta Falcons
6. Jermichael Finley - Green Bay Packers
7. Brent Celek - Philadelphia Eagles
8. Owen Daniels - Houston Texans
9. Kellen Winslow - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10. Visanthe Shiancoe - Minnesota Vikings
11. Zach Miller - Oakland Raiders
12. Chris Cooley - Washington Redskins
13. Heath Miller - Pittsburgh Steelers
14. John Carlson - Seattle Seahawks
15. Tony Sheffler - Detroit Lions
16. Bo Scaife - Tennessee Titans
17. Greg Olsen - Chicago Bears
18. Dustin Keller - New York Jets
19. Fred Davis - Washington Redskins
20. Kevin Boss - New York Giants

Thoughts:

• Jermichael Finley has a ton of potential, but that can only take you so far.  Is his upside really much better than what Jason Witten has proven to already be?  I’ve already discussed this (click here for the article), so check it out for more details, but I wouldn’t draft Finley for his potential over a proven star.
• Will Brett Favre return or won’t he?  It’s the never-ending saga in Minnesota.  If he doesn’t, Shiancoe could become an important part of the offense as a safety valve.  Even if Favre does return, with Sidney Rice hurting with a hip injury (and potential contract issues), Shiancoe could play a much larger role in the Vikings offense.
• The signing of Terrell Owens makes it more difficult to see Jermaine Grisham making a major impact in his rookie campaign.  He’s still a high upside gamble, but he’s not likely worth the draft pick.
• NFL.com posted an article recently that the Lions would use more two-tight-end sets in an effort to get Tony Sheffler on the field.  In fact, they say that, regarding his usage, “That description immediately brings to mind how the Colts use TE Dallas Clark.”  Obviously, he’s not going to match that type of production, but that type of talk makes him worth the flier over some other gambles.  To read the article, click here. 
• Greg Olsen faces a lot of pressure to perform, with Brandon Manumaleuna being added to the mix as a free agent.  Manumaleuna has a history with the Bears new offensive coordinator, Mike Martz, and could be used as the primary tight end to allow Jay Cutler to throw the ball all over the field.  That certainly knocks Olsen down a few notches, though he could be a big red zone threat.
• Kevin Boss is battling through injuries and was a low-end option to begin with.  That certainly hurts his potential value.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Who is ranked too high?  Who is ranked too low?

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s 2010 rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Top 15 Kickers

Also, make sure to check out our recent rookie rankings:

• Top 5 Rookie RB
• Top 5 Rookie QB
• Top 5 Rookie WR
• Top 3 Rookie TE

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