Fantasy Football Week 7 Rankings: Top 20 Tight Ends

There are a few injury concerns as we head towards Week 7, with both Antonio Gates and Chris Cooley questionable to play.  As of now they haven’t been ruled out, but time will tell.  Let’s take a look at how our rankings currently look:

1. Antonio Gates – San Diego Chargers – vs. New England
2. Tony Gonzalez – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Cincinnati
3. Vernon Davis – San Francisco 49ers – at Carolina
4. Zach Miller – Oakland Raiders – at Denver
5. Brent Celek – Philadelphia Eagles – at Tennessee
6. Aaron Hernandez – New England Patriots – at San Diego
7. Chris Cooley – Washington Redskins – at Chicago
8. Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys – vs. New York Giant
9. Tony Moeaki – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Jacksonville
10. Heath Miller – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Miami
11. Kellen Winslow – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. St. Louis
12. Mercedes Lewis – Jacksonville Jaguars – at Kansas City
13. Benjamin Watson – Cleveland Browns – at New Orleans
14. Greg Olsen – Chicago Bears – vs. Washington
15. Todd Heap – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Buffalo
16. John Carlson – Seattle Seahawks – vs. Arizona
17. Jermaine Gresham – Cincinnati Bengals – at Atlanta
18. Visanthe Shiancoe – Minnesota Vikings – at Green Bay
19. Bo Scaife – Tennessee Titans – vs. Philadelphia
20. Kevin Boss – New York Giants – at Dallas

Thoughts:

• Antonio Gates has been the best tight end in the league through the first seven weeks, with 31 receptions for 490 yards and seven touchdowns.  There are questions on if he is going to play or not, but if he does there is little questioning who the top option is.
• The Washington Redskins have given up the second most passing yards per game in the league (298.2).  That means, especially with a healthy Jay Cutler at the helm, that the Bears are likely to go very pass heavy.  Greg Olsen, however, has been held without a catch in each of his last two games on just six targets.  The potential to produce is there, but it’s hard to depend on him.
• Even with Kevin Kolb at the helm, Brent Celek has not rediscovered what made him great in 2009.  He has not yet had more than 47 yards in a game, but with DeSean Jackson likely out, he could become the second option for Kolb (behind Jeremy Maclin).  He has a favorable matchup with the Titans, so I’d consider him a TE1, though a risky one.
• If Kellen Winslow had been playing well, he’d be a top three option against the Rams.  Unfortunately, he has 24 receptions for 257 yards and 0 TD.
• Chris Cooley has not yet been ruled out for Week 7, so I am including him on the rankings for now.  However, having suffered a concussion in Week 6, it’s questionable if he plays.  If he sits, Fred Davis becomes a potentially viable option.
• Jason Witten actually had a touchdown two weeks ago.  Do you believe it?  He has at least 50 yards in each of the last four games, so he is getting into a bit of a roll.  The Giants are a tough defense, but he still clearly is not the red zone target for the Cowboys.  That has got to knock him down the rankings a bit.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Who’s too high?  Who’s too low?

Make sure to check out the rest of our Week 7 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Top 15 Kickers
• Top 15 Defenses (coming soon)
• Waiver Worthy
• Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em
• Sunday Sleepers (coming soon)

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