My Antonio Gates Blog

Ever since Jeremy Shockey was drafted and Antonio Gates came from nowhere and started doing his Superman impressions, few positions on the football field have been more (over) hyped and heralded than the tight end.

Every guy who has some size, some speed and some hands is looked at as a prospect. Offenses are being built around tight ends like never before. Gates set the single season record for touchdowns for a tight end in 2004 with 13, and Tony Gonzalez set another record with 102 receptions that year. With Gates and Gonzalez making the transition from power forward to tight end, the Final Four tournament has turned into an NFL recruiting event. Vernon Davis was drafted sixth overall this spring. Tight ends were often lucky to get picked by the sixth round before this renaissance. But why is the position getting all this attention?

There are a couple of big reasons why the position is so much more important these days, and they have to do with defenses. Tony Dungy is one of several coaches who is loyal to a cover 2 defensive scheme. If you're not up on NFL playbooks, the cover 2 is essentially a zone defense where only the D-line pass rushes and the rest of the players are responsible for covering their own piece of the field. Like any zone defense, cover 2 creates exploitable spots in the area where two zones meet. The middle linebacker can often be taken advantage of by a seam route that finds him out of place, and the tight end is a natural target of that route.

The bigger reason for the popularity of the position, however, is the 3-4 defense. That defense, with three linemen and four linebackers, is becoming more popular. One way to limit the effectiveness of that defense, and to stop it from running fancy plays, is to put two tight ends on the field (instead of a tight end and two running backs). The linebackers can find it more challenging to find matchups and safeties can be challenged as well. The two tight ends can create more gaps in the running game, too, since there are more blockers on the line.

Because the 3-4 is spreading, teams are looking to have twice as many starting tight ends on their rosters. Last year 11 teams used two tight ends for at least 45 percent of their plays, and that number is sure to grow this season. Hence, the huge demand for good tight ends. Teams aren't just looking for the big blocking bodies anymore, either. Today's tight ends are essentially oversized wide receivers with ridiculous speed and good hands. Good offense is all about creating and exploiting mismatches, and the tight end can create more mismatches than almost anyone on the field. It used to be that the tight end was just a last resort if every other receiver was covered, but now the tight end is a primary target for many teams.

Understanding the tight end can have a big impact on choosing the teams that you will bet on. Gates is the best there is by a wide margin, and Gonzalez, Shockey and Todd Heap are the players everyone knows about. By keeping your eye on some other tight ends that are poised for big years and picking your spots, however, you can have a real edge when their team is playing against a 3-4 or a rigid cover 2. Tight ends have been the difference in a lot of games over the last couple of seasons, and that will certainly be the case this year. Here are five guys we hear less about who could be gamebreakers this season:

Kellen Winslow, Jr., Cleveland - Winslow has had a terrible start to his career, but he is healthy and ready. Young QB Charlie Frye will have a better year this year if he can rely on having a TE to dump to when he gets in trouble. Frye, Winslow and Braylon Edwards have been working hard to build a rapport, and it should pay off this year. Winslow has all the tools in the world, so if he can get his attitude in line, and stay off motorcycles, he could provide the Browns a much needed edge.

Jeb Putzier, Houston - A player has a huge advantage when he is his coach's guy. New coach Gary Kubiak brought Putzier with him from Denver, so you know he'll get lots of attention. David Carr has never really had a decent option at tight end. Putzier catches the ball for long yardage when it is thrown to him. He will figure more prominently in the offense in Houston than he did in Denver, and that should benefit both him and Carr.

Eric Johnson, San Francisco - Sure, Vernon Davis is getting all the attention in San Fran, but rookie tight ends often take a while to figure things out, and Johnson is the real deal. He missed last year with an injury, but he caught 82 passes for 825 yards the year before. Alex Smith needs all the help he can get, and his wide receiver corps sure isn't going to provide it, so Johnson could be a regular target, especially early in the season.

Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville - I know I just said rookie tight ends often struggle, but Lewis has looked great in camp. Vernon Davis got all the attention at the draft, but this UCLA grad was honored as the top tight end in college last season. The Jags have never really focused on a tight end, but then they have had Kyle Brady forever, so it's a bit of a chicken and egg scenario. A high ankle sprain has slowed Lewis down for the last two weeks, but he figures to be a key target for Byron Leftwich when he hits the field.

Zachary Hilton, New Orleans - Hilton started to make an impact in the last half of last season, ending up with 35 catches and almost 400 yards. He's a 6'8" giant who makes an easy target. The biggest boost Hilton (or perhaps any player in the league) got in the offseason is the addition of Drew Brees. Brees obviously got into the habit of finding Gates, so Hilton should see a lot more leather this season.

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We all know the names of Gonzalez, Witten and Gates, and you can make an argument to put Clark in this elite group also. But these 4 will require a 3rd or 4th round pick. How can you draft a solid, consistent producer at Tight End and wait until you get good value for him? In our Fantasy Football Sleepers series, we tackle tight ends next.

Sleeper #1

Chase Coffman caught 90 balls for almost 1,000 yards last year as a senior for Missouri. Those are huge numbers for any TE in college football, and going to Cincinnati means he can contribute immediately for a team without any solid offensive TE. Carson Palmer is healthy after being injured last season, and the Bengals have the 5th easiest schedule for Tight Ends. Their offensive line is not the greatest, and their backfield is not what you would call stellar, so look for a lot of dump-offs and a few red zone targets. I am looking for 53 catches, 590 yards and 5 scores. This is a guy you can draft extremely late, possibly the last round, and get mid-round value out of.

Sleeper #2

With a healthy Darren McFadden back at RB, and their inability to throw the ball down the field, Oakland will be able to feed Zach Miller the ball in Red Zone situations where the line will be stacked to stop the run. Miller had only one TD last year, but has averaged 600 yards and 50 catches the past 2 seasons. His Red Zone production should improve to 5 or 6 TDs this year, as Oakland is facing the easiest schedule in the league for Tight Ends. You know they will be trailing a lot this year, and their defensive backfield will give them several short field situations, with CB Nnamdi Asomugha and others picking the ball on D. For these two reasons, I think the short to middle pass will be a staple this year for them, and an area for Miller to shine.

If you are looking for 900 yards and 8 TDs from your TE, you have got to take one of the elite 3 or 4 guys in round 3 or 4. And if you feel comfortable drafting a less than 100% Dallas Clark or Antonio Gates, be my guest. But I just really hate spending that kind of money on a TE when you can lose only 2 fantasy points a game by taking someone in the 8th round or later. You more than make up for the difference with the RB, WR or QB differential by using that 3rd round pick at one of these 3 skill positions instead.

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These are my fantasy football picks for Tight Ends as of May 2010. Needless to say, depending on when you read this you need to do your own due diligence and evaluate the status of players. Stuff like injuries, team changes and suspensions.

Without further ado, Here are my fantasy football picks top five Tight Ends.

1. Dallas Clark/Colts- Clark is just simply too big for most defensive backs to cover and too fast for most linebackers. Clark takes some vicious hits and still hangs on to the ball, and with Peyton Manning under center Clark has become the most dangerous TE in the NFL.

2. Antonio Gates/Chargers- With QB Philip Rivers still intact, there's no reason to believe that Gates won't again be a valuable receiving target for the Chargers. A key here will be the re-signing of WR Vincent Jackson, as without him teams will be able to concentrate on covering Gates.

3. Tony Gonzalez/Falcons- Though Gonzalez did not have one of his typical seasons in 2009, he was nonetheless still one of the top TE's in football. With another year of playing experience with QB Matt Ryan, Gonzalez should once again be considered one of the top choices at TE this year.

4. Vernon Davis/49ers- Davis really exploded last season under Mike Singletary, and this season should render similar results. Davis is their number one receiving threat and presents matchup problems for many opponents. Whether it's Alex Smith or David Carr at QB, Davis should be a valuable fantasy starter.

5. Jason Witten/Cowboys- No matter what number you think Witten should be ranked at, if you end up drafting him you won't be disappointed. Witten has been the most reliable target the Cowboys have had over the past five or six seasons, but needs to improve in his TD totals if he wants to move up.

Now this is the short list. There are 10 more tight ends that you are welcome to use for your own fantasy football picks. Just check them out at JohnnyNFL.com. Follow me @johnnynfl on Twitter for immediate updates.

Let's imagine for a second that you're fantasy football draft is taking place. It's now in it's 13th round and you realize that you've forgotten to draft a tight end. All the big names (Witten, Gates, Ton-Gon, even Heap) disappeared hours ago and Robert Royal isn't looking too promising. Well, rookie, here's a look at some rookies that could help your team and make an immediate impact this year.

First, we will start with the most obvious choice: Brandon Pettigrew. This 6'5" 260 pound rookie polishes off a class of talented, young offensive players for the Detroit Lions. Pettigrew will be surrounded by Calvin Johnson, Kevin Smith and also-newly-drafted Matthew Stafford when (and if) the Lions offense takes the field.

It's obvious to see that Pettigrew was the best tight end in this year's draft. After all, the Lions did snag him quickly, making him the first tight end to be drafted in 2009. Lately, the Lions have also had a knack for finding explosive offensive talent (sans Joey Harrington). Don't expect Pettigrew to put up Antonio Gates-esque numbers. But, he still remains the Lions best option at tight end.

Another rookie tight end worth taking a look at is Chase Coffman. Coffman's big frame (6'6", 244 lbs) comes with a bigger risk on draft day than Pettigrew will. For starters, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. They only averaged 150.4 pass yards per game last year. Secondly, Coffman will be playing second fiddle to Reggie Kelly. But, there is an upside! For starters, he is behind Reggie Kelly! Kelly continued towards a second disappointing season last year, which should allow Marvin Lewis to give Coffman an even closer look. If Lewis wants a touchdown scored from his tight end, then Coffman is the answer not Kelly.

While I wouldn't recommend relying too heavily on Pettigrew and Coffman, they are viable bye week relief and/or bench players (after all, they ARE on the Bengals and the Lions). Pettigrew offers the most upside and who knows, he might be able to put up some decent numbers. If he does, you can finally talk some trash to that guy in your league who allegedly "discovered" Matt Forte before "anyone even heard of him".

Nevertheless, if your draft is still taking place and you still want to wait on a tight end, well, Jermaine Gresham comes out next year.

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10. Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders. The young tight end broke out last season, with consistent yardage per game, having caught for 778 total yards. Unfortunately, he only scored 1 TD, and the Raiders' ability to score will heavily factor into his value this season.

9. Jeremy Shockey. A top-5 tight end not too long ago has slipped in the rankings, despite the fact that he plays for a top-3 fantasy quarterback in Drew Brees. Last season was a major letdown for Shockey and his owners, marred with injury (he missed 4 games), and Shockey amazingly scored no TDs. He also posted a career low 483 yards. Look for a bounceback season from Shockey, but the risk factor places Shockey at #9.

8. Chris Cooley. Another traditionally top-5 tight end, Cooley only found the end zone once last season. While he did post a career high in receiving yards (849), fantasy football is all about the touchdowns, and Cooley missed the boat there. He has easy top 5 potential with those yards should he score 5 or 6 TDs, but the Washington offense is questionable and others look more attractive given their QBs.

7. Owen Daniels. This young talent continues to improve each year, and has quietly emerged as one of the most reliable TEs in football over the past couple seasons. His 862 receiving yards were third best for a TE, but Daniels only scored two TDs. Still, his reliability combined with his upside will make most GMs happy, and Daniels falls at number 7 on the list this season.

6. Greg Olsen. A true sleeper this season in the sense that Olsen probably possesses more upside than any other tight end this season. With Jay Cutler at the helm, Olsen could easily have a breakout year at tight end, seeing as how involved Cutler traditionally likes to get with his tight ends. Olsen caught for 574 yards and scored 5 TDs last season, but should definitely best both of those numbers with Cutler's help.

5. Dallas Clark. When Peyton Manning is your quarterback, it's not hard to do great things. Clark has become an increasingly reliable option with each season, as Manning deals with an often double-teamed Reggie Wayne and an aging Marvin Harrison. Clark's 848 yards and 6 TDs are just too good to pass up, offering true value at the TE position.

4. Kellen Winslow. The 2007 season was a career year for Kellen Winslow, having caught for over 1100 yards and posting a career TD high as well. Last season, Winslow regressed (he only played 10 games) - partly due to injury and partly due to a murky QB situation in Cleveland. Winslow joins its Buccaneers team and should play a major role in its offense. He's a riskier play in the sense that there's both more risk and reward than there is with options like Dallas Clark. Draft accordingly.

3. Antonio Gates. Until last year, Gates was the consensus #1 fantasy tight end. Gates' 704 receiving yards last season (7th best for a tight end) have dethroned him, for now at least. In his defense, he did score 8 TDs, second best for any tight end. Numbers anyone would be happy to take.

2. Jason Witten. With the absence of Terrell Owens, there are many question marks in Dallas. As long as Romo's there, however, Witten should see plenty of targets. In fact, Romo may come to count on Witten even more, especially in the red zone. Witten began last season as the best tight end in football, but quickly slipped after a nagging rib injury slowed his season. He's rested and healthy, and should be back to posting regular WR numbers each weekend.

1. Tony Gonzalez. 2008 was a revival year for Gonzalez, who led all TEs in yards (1058) and TDs (10) last season, carrying many of his owners to the fantasy playoffs. Gonzalez finds himself as part of a stronger offense in Atlanta, and should connect with Matt Ryan for long receptions and TDs on many Sundays. Gonzalez is one of the most talented TEs in the game, and has only missed two games in his 12 year career. He hasn't received for less than 900 yards in a season since 2002-2003. Enjoy him for everything he's worth.

Jesse Boskoff can be found talking sports at RootZoo's sports forum on occasion, and playing his hand at the largest database of sports trivia online at RootZoo, home to fantasy football leagues, sports videos, and much more.