Fantasy Football Sleepers: Journeyman Tight Ends Poised to Pay Big Dividends

Outside of a select few tight ends that give you production like you would expect from a receiver, tight ends are often overlooked. Make no mistake about it, though: A good tight end can be huge for your chances to win your league.

In most leagues, you will only carry one tight end, with another possibly on the bench for your starter's bye week. With so few likely to be selected, lay back a little bit in your draft and take one of the following veteran tight ends ready to have big seasons.

Greg Olson—Carolina Panthers

Olson has long been a sleeper tight end. He has never been talked about the way people talk about Antonio Gates or Jason Witten, but he has been nearly as consistent.

With Jay Cutler at quarterback and Mike Martz calling the plays in Chicago, Olson's role had been diminished. This has led to a dip in his perceived fantasy value. 

Landing in Carolina couldn't have been better for Olson. The Panthers lack playmakers in general, and that will help him to get targeted more often. Also helping his value is having a rookie quarterback running the offense.

There will be times when Cam Newton is overwhelmed and unsure of what to do. In those times, he will be quick to look for Greg Olson as a safety valve. Those plays aren't great for the Panthers as a team, but they are great for owners of Greg Olson.

Chris Cooley—Washington Redskins

There was a time that Cooley was considered just a cut below the real elite tight ends in the league. That time has passed thanks to injuries and the Redskins being a mess in general, but he will put up near-elite numbers in 2011.

Cooley has value for much the same reason Olson has value. The Redskins' quarterback will be either John Beck or Rex Grossman. Neither of those guys will be looking down field all that often. Instead, they will be looking for safe completions, of which Cooley will give them many.

Cooley comes with injury risks, but he's worth sliding up three or four spots in most preseason fantasy tight end rankings.

Todd Heap—Arizona Cardinals

Olson and Cooley were sidetracked from being top fantasy options thanks to things like injuries and coaching changes. Todd Heap's production was simply phased out of the offense. Injuries played a part as well, but the increasing offensive talent on the Ravens' roster and Joe Flacco being an upgrade over Kyle Boller at quarterback had more to do with it.

In Arizona, Heap has a real shot at being a big-time target once again. Kevin Kolb is a better quarterback than most give him credit for, and outside of Larry Fitzgerald, there isn't a ton of receiving talent to split catches with.

Heap is being drafted in the late-teens among tight ends, and that's much too low. Heap isn't going to put up numbers like he used to, but he will enjoy a season like he hasn't had in a few years.