Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings: Top 20 Tight Ends

With all the injuries to quarterbacks, will teams start depending on their tight ends more?  Has Owen Daniels finally rediscovered his form? 

Can Tony Moeaki & Dustin Keller play like it's Week 3?  Let’s take a look at our current tight end rankings for the coming week:

1. Antonio Gates – San Diego Chargers – vs. Tennessee
2. Vernon Davis – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Denver
3. Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Jacksonville
4. Zach Miller – Oakland Raiders – vs. Seattle
5. Chris Cooley – Washington Redskins – at Detroit
6. Aaron Hernandez – New England Patriots – vs. Minnesota
7. Kellen Winslow – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Arizona
8. Owen Daniels – Houston Texans – at Indianapolis
9. Dustin Keller – New York Jets – vs. Green Bay
10. Tony Moeaki – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Buffalo
11. Heath Miller – Pittsburgh Steelers – at New Orleans
12. Brandon Pettigrew – Detroit Lions – vs. Washington
13. Marcedes Lewis – Jacksonville Jaguars – at Dallas
14. Jermaine Gresham – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Miami
15. John Carlson – Seattle Seahawks – at Oakland
16. Visanthe Shiancoe – Minnesota Vikings – at New England
17. Bo Scaife – Tennessee Titans – at San Diego
18. Jacob Tamme – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Houston
19. Jeremy Shockey – New Orleans Saints – vs. Pittsburgh
20. Tony Sheffler – Detroit Lions – vs. Washington

Thoughts:

• Jason Witten has touchdowns in two of his last three games.  What, really?  The sudden outburst has to make fantasy owners happy and brings him back into the forefront of fantasy tight ends, especially against a Jaguars defense that has struggled against the pass.  It also wouldn’t be surprising to see Jon Kitna depend on him, would it?
• Since Week 1, Aaron Hernandez has at least four catches in every game.  Now, if Tom Brady could only get him into the end zone.  It’s clear that he’s going to continue to be a vital part of the passing game and at 6’1”, 245 lbs. It would seem like it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a red-zone target.  He’s a clear TE1 at this point.
• Dustin Keller was the golden tight end earlier in the season, but since the return of Santonio Holmes, he has five catches for 89 yards and no touchdowns.  He’s still a TE1, but he’s just a low-end option at this point.
• Like the rest of the Vikings receivers, the health of Brett Favre and their general inability in the passing game hurts the potential value of Visanthe Shiancoe.
• Will one of the Colts tight ends be able to fill the shoes of Dallas Clark?  Unlikely, but I’d put Jacob Tamme the best opportunity to be usable.  However, at this point, he’s no more than a TE2 until we know exactly what type of role he’ll fill.
• Owen Daniels is beginning to round into form, with five catches for 79 yards in Week 6.  It’s been a long road back, but he is certainly back into the role of usable options.
• Will the absence of Alex Smith hurt the value of Vernon Davis?  He has scored in four straight games, but you would expect him to remain the main focus of the offense with Troy Smith at quarterback.  Continue to value him as an elite option.

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

Make sure to check out our Week 8 Rankings:

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

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