On Monday nights, some of us are trailing in fantasy points hoping that our remaining players do something worthy enough to squeak by a win. Monday night’s Titans vs. Colts proved that a good tight end can be a boon to any fantasy football team. Dallas Clark, the Colt’s starting tight end, racked up the points with 7 receptions, 94 yards, and 2 TDs. If you have a good tight end on Monday night football, it does wonders for your optimism and gives you a better chance than most.
Having a good tight end is like having a fourth receiver on your squad. Most of the time, you have to get them in the early rounds of the draft, but I say they’re well worth it. The way I see it, there are only two tiers of tight ends: the cream of the crop and the rest of them. Usually, there are only three or maybe four top tight ends in the entire league. It’s not so much who they are, because let’s face it, if you’re in the NFL you’re suppose to be good, it’s more about what team they’re on and whose QB they belong to. They’re certain QBs and teams in the NFL that just love throwing to their tight ends.
Case in point, the San Diego chargers have had a long history of throwing to their tight end. Antonio Gates continues to be a top tight end year after year; his numbers are ridiculously consistent (well worth a third or fourth round draft pick in my eyes). Top-rated QB, Drew Brees, came from the San Diego Chargers and took that strategy with him to the New Orlean Saints. His first year with New Orleans, out of habit of throwing to Antonio Gates, his old tight end from the Chargers, he threw to an unknown tight end by the name of Marcus Colston. That year, Marcus Colston became the highest rated tight end in the league. Although Colston has been promoted to the W1 postion, Bree’s continues to show love to his tight end. In fact, many fantasy football experts predicted that Jeremy Shocky, former tight end of the New York Giants, would be a great sleeper pick in the draft this year and he would have been too, except has a problem staying healthy (which is why I stay away from him every year even though he’s very talented). Having a Drew Brees tight end on your team gives you a better chance than most.
QB’s like Payton Manning, Tom Brady, Brett Farve, Phillip Rivers, like to throw to their tight ends in tight spots, especially near or in the end zone. Teams like Kansas City Cheifs, who have Tony Gonzales (one of the highest rated tight ends of all time) make it a constant play strategy to throw to their tight end, no matter who their QB is. The same is true with the Washington Redskins (Chis Cooley), Dallas Cowboys (Jason Witten), and San Diego Chargers (Antonio Gates). While most tight ends average two to three catches a game, if you lucky, these teams will, more often than not, make a play call to throw the football to the tight end in the end zone on any give game and give them consistent looks and touches throughout the season. A good tight end is a jewel in the rough. Better you have that jewel than your opponent. Bling! Bling!
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Tags: fantasy football advice, fantasy football players, fantasy football tips, TE
October 28th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
TE are a very important and for those that don’t take the time to do research and find out who is going to be productive will find themselves losing by just a few points and wondering what they can do. The key is to draft a good TE and I usually grab one of the top producing Tight Ends in the first 5 rounds. I’ve got Cooley this year and he has been very consistent and a big part of their offense. Witten is also a very good reliable TE and there are a few more emerging this year like John Carlson from Seattle and Anthony Fasano from Miami. These guys seem to be a big part of their offense and are usually in the mix for a few catches every week.
October 28th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Depending on the league… TE could be super important BUT (and that’s a BIG BUTT), there are really only a handful that are actually worth drafting anywhere in the first ten rounds. Check this… in our league… only 6 TEs rank among the top 50 WRs. In other words, if you don’t get Gates, Witten, or Cooley, you can pretty much chill and wait. By the way, I love TEs… don’t know why but I do… I have 4 TEs in one of my leagues! Seriously, that’s pathetic, isn’t it. But I got Gates, Witten, Cooley, and Shockey so I’m at least having fun. Oh, and I’m currently in 2nd place with Brees, Gore, Portis, and some mediocre WRs…
March 23rd, 2009 at 4:14 am
As a UK-based Cowboys fan, I found your blog on google and read a few of your other ‘boys posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
March 25th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
As a far-away (Europe) Saints fan, I am always looking for new sites with New Orleans information.