Tight End Rankings (NFG Rankings) - 07/04/2009

These Tight End Players Rankings are the NFL Fantasy Guide Rankings own biased opinions. The Ultimate Player Rankings we tout will come shortly.



1) Antonio Gates – SD – His season last year was hampered by a nagging injury and he still put up strong numbers. Now that he is healthy, Gates should put up #1 Tight End stats again. Especially since Tomlinson is also healthy and will draw defenses more than he did last year.

2) Jason Witten – DAL – Owens is gone and Romo will be a little more comfortable turning to Witten knowing he wont have to deal with Owens whining for it. Roy Williams is good enough to warrant defenses to worry about him but not good enough to demand the ball every play.

3) Tony Gonzalez – ATL – Originally I had Gonzalez #1, until I considered the tangibles. He is getting older and on a new team. In KC he did not have others who needed the ball as much as his teammates in Atlanta. Roddy White will still get his passes but his presence might actually open Tony up more.

4) Dallas Clark – IND – Manning has become comfortable turning to Clark and rightfully so. Dallas Clark is not quite in the level of the three above him but he is not far below them either. I have him getting about 10 to 15 fantasy points less than the others after a full season.

5) Kellen Winslow – CLE – The only thing keeping Winslow from ranking in the top three is his lack of touchdowns. He will usually end up with 2 or 3 TD’s less than the top Tight Ends.

6) Chris Cooley – WAS – As there was a 10 point drop from Clark to the TE’s above him, there is a 10 point drop from Winslow to Cooley.

7) John Carlson – SEA – The presence of TJ Houshmandzadeh should give Carlson a little more room. This should allow him to at least repeat his 2008 numbers and maybe just a touch better.

8) Owen Daniels – HOU – Daniels gets the catches and the yardage to be a top-5 TE. Unfortunately he has yet to show a propensity for getting the score. Only 2 TD’s in 2008.

9) Greg Olsen – CHI – Olsen could easily be a top-5 TE if it were not for one problem. Desmond Clark! Even with the loss of plays to Desmond Clark, Olsen is a strong fantasy TE.

10) Zach Miller – OAK – Oakland does not have the best receivers in the game. The Raider’s below average offensive line forces the QB to get rid of the ball too soon. Usually it is to Zach Miller.

11) Kevin Boss – NYG – Boss is primed for a strong year and the Giants are planning to use him more to help their passing game.

12) Brent Celek – PHI – Like Boss, Celek is also expected to become a bigger part of the passing game to take some pressure off of Westbrook. With Vick to keep defenses worried, Celek should find himself open often.

13) Tony Scheffler – DEN – If Brandon Marshall plays in Denver this season, this should be a good ranking for Scheffler. However, if Marshall leaves, Scheffler will not have as much room to make plays.

14) Dustin Keller – NYJ – Keller has only had one season under his belt and whether he builds on that season or falls short in his sophomore year is a big question. I’m betting he builds but not a lot.

15) Anthony Fasano – MIA – Fasano stepped up his game in his first season with Miami. He should be good to at least repeat his 2008 season.

16) Visanthe Shincoe – MIN – I am guessing we have seen Shiancoe in his best season. He might come close to repeating but I doubt he will surpass his 2008 numbers. Likely he will be a couple Touchdowns shy.

17) Heath Miller – PIT – What you have seen the last two seasons is what you will get. Near around 500 yards and 4 or 5 touchdowns.

18) Donald Lee – GB – In 2008 he played in more games but had less yards. I would bet his 2009 season will fall somewhere between his 2008 and 2007 seasons.

19) Brandon Pettigrew – DET – Being from the Detroit area myself, I can tell you there are high hopes from fans that Pettigrew will be great. Until he shows it, don’t count on it. 450 yards and 5 TD’s would be my highest expectations, especially since he will be needed to protect the QB more.

20) Jeremy Shockey – NO – If Shockey could have stayed healthy and kept a good attitude, he would have been better off in New York. On the Saints he did not have one TD in 2008. I would expect that to change but he wont be anything special.

21) Bo Scaife – TEN – Scaife could be ranked five spots higher if he could score more than twice in a season. Only two touchdowns will keep him at 19th.

22) Todd Heap – BALT – His 75 grab seasons now seem a thing of the past and 35 catches looks more like what he will get. Don’t draft Heap any higher. Likely he will end up available on free-agency so keep an eye on him.