Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings: Top 20 Tight Ends

Injuries are currently hanging over many of the top tight ends fantasy owners count on, like Antonio Gates, Zach Miller and Vernon Davis.  How does it affect the rankings?  Let’s take a look:

1. Jacob Tamme – Indianapolis Colts – vs. San Diego
2. Vernon Davis – San Francisco 49ers – at Arizona
3. Brandon Pettigrew – Detroit Lions – vs. New England
4. Tony Gonzalez – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Green Bay
5. Chris Cooley – Washington Redskins – vs. Minnesota
6. Visanthe Shiancoe – Minnesota Vikings – at Washington
7. Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys – vs. New Orleans
8. Antonio Gates – San Diego Chargers – at Indianapolis
9. Kellen Winslow – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Baltimore
10. Todd Heap – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Tampa Bay
11. Dustin Keller – New York Jets – vs. Cincinnati
12. Zach Miller – Oakland Raiders – vs. Miami
13. Marcedes Lewis – Jacksonville Jaguars – at New York Giants
14. Kevin Boss – New York Giants – vs. Jacksonville
15. Heath Miller – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Buffalo
16. Aaron Hernandez – New England Patriots – at Detroit
17. Joel Dressen – Houston Texans – vs. Tennessee
18. Greg Olsen – Chicago Bears – vs. Philadelphia
19. Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots – at Detroit
20. Brent Celek – Philadelphia Eagles – at Chicago

Thoughts:

• Is Antonio Gates going to be healthy enough to play?  He’s among the elite if he is, but even if he dresses, you just don’t know exactly what you are going to get.  That certainly downgrades him.  However, if he plays, I’d still roll the dice with him.
• Zach Miller’s injury is currently bothering him, as he has three receptions for 17 yards in his past two games.  If healthy he’s a TE1, but monitor the news this week to be sure.
• Early word is that Vernon Davis’ ankle injury is not serious, so continue to use him with confidence.  Still, I’d keep an eye on the news just in case.
• With Hakeem Nicks & Steve Smith out of action, Kevin Boss could be in line for an increase in opportunities in the passing game.  He’s shown flashes (like five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown in Week 10), so consider him potentially usable this week and a good player to stash in case your top tight end is a last-minute scratch.
• The Patriots' tight ends are just too volatile right now to trust either of them.  Consider them both as potential TE2 options.
• The emergence of Santonio Holmes certainly hurts the potential value of Dustin Keller.  I’d consider him a low-end TE1 for the upcoming week.

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

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s Week 12 Rankings:

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

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