Different Draft Strategies
Here are some different draft strategies you might want to use during your draft:
QB: If you take a quarterback in the first round then you probably had a late pick and you probably picked Drew Brees. Let’s say you had pick 9, if you picked Brees there then you would have pick 12 in round 2 which is a good place to get either Larry Fitzgerald or Andre Johnson. But after you do that, you still don’t have any running backs. So in round 3 and 4 you will probably want to get some running backs that are fairly decent.
RB: If you take a running back in the first round, you are in pretty good shape no matter who you picked. But for our purposes let’s say you had pick 4 and you pick Matt Forte. Then you have pick 17 in the next round. Tom Brady and Randy Moss both might be there at 17 if you are looking for a position other than running back. But if you are looking for another stud running back, then Frank Gore or Steve Slaton are both very good picks at 17. Let’s say you pick Slaton, then you are going to want to get a receiver in round 3 because there are some good QB’s that you can get much later in the draft. Roddy White would be a very good pick for you in round 3.
WR: Receiver is a very interesting position because not a lot of people take them in the first round. But if you do this year, you are in very good shape and I’d say the favorite to win your league (depending on the rest of your draft.) If you take a receiver in the first round it’s almost defiantly Larry Fitzgerald. If you take him make sure you have pick 7 or later because you don’t want to waist a pick earlier on a WR. Let’s say that you have pick 8 and you take Larry, then in round 2 you have pick 13, you have a tough decision to make. If Andre Johnson is there do you take him? Well if you do I won’t blame you, you will still have a very good team and in fact, might be that much closer to winning your league. But, if you do, you might want to lie off of receivers for a little while. If you don’t want to take Johnson at pick 13, there are plenty of other good picks such as Brandon Jacobs and Steve Slaton. There are also quarterbacks Tom Brady/Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees if you’re lucky.
Mock Draft
Round 1
1. Adrian Peterson
2. Michael Turner
3. Matt Forte
4. Maurice Jones-Drew
5. Steven Jackson
6. Drew Brees
7. Ladainian Tomlinson
8. Larry Fitzgerald
9. Chris Johnson
10. DeAngelo Williams
Round 2
11. Tom Brady
12. Frank Gore
13. Andre Johnson
14. Brandon Jacobs
15. Thomas Jones
16. Calvin Johnson
17. Steve Slaton
18. Peyton Manning
19. Randy Moss
20. Clinton Portis
Round 3
21. Steve Smith
22. Marion Barber
23. Reggie Wayne
24. Brian Westbrook
25. Greg Jennings
26. Brandon Marshall
27. Kevin Smith
28. Ronnie Brown
29. Roddy White
30. Terrell Owens
Round4
31. Marques Colston
32. Anquan Boldin
33. Ryan Grant
34. Dwayne Bowe
35. T.J. Housmanzadeh
36. Marshawn Lynch
37. Braylon Edwards
38. Pierre Thomas
39. Wes Welker
40. Kurt Warner
Round 5
41. Jonathan Stewart
42. Tony Gonzalez
43. Felix Jones
44. Matt Ryan
45. Aaron Rodgers
46. Willie Parker
47. Jason Witten
48. Tony Romo
49. Roy Williams
50. Joseph Addai
Round 6
51. Antonio Gates
52. Philip Rivers
53. Darren Mcfadden
54. Donovan Mcnabb
55. Dallas Clark
56. Derrick Ward
57. DeSean Jackson
58. Vincent Jackson
59. LenDale White
60. Antonio Bryant
Round 7
61. Larry Johnson
62. Matt Schuab
63. Donald Brown
64. Reggie Bush
65. Owen Daniels
66. Hines Ward
67. Chad Ochocinco
68. Lee Evans
69. Knowshon Moreno
70. Jamal Lewis
Round 8
71. Chris Wells
72. Chris Cooley
73. Eddie Royal
74. Laverneus Coles
75. Michael Crabtree
76. Ahmad Bradshaw
77. Steelers D
78. LeSean McCoy
79. Bernard Berrian
80. Cedric Benson
Round 9
81. Matt Cassel
82. Darren Sproles
83. Ray Rice
84. Greg Olsen
85. Santana Moss
86. Ravens D
87. Giants D
88. Julius Jones
89. Jay Cutler
90. Fred Taylor
Round 10
91. Tim Hightower
92. Santonio Holmes
93. Carson Palmer
94. Anthony Gonzalez
95. Jason Campbell
96. Kevin Walter
97. Jerrico Cotchery
98. Kellen Winslow
99. Earnest Graham
100. Ben Rothlisberger
Round 11
101. Donald Driver
102. Titans D
103. Donnie Avery
104. Devin Hester
105. Torry Holt
106. Willis McGahee
107. Eli Manning
108. John Carlson
109. Lance Moore
110. Vikings D
Round 12
111. Laurence Maroney
112. Ler’Ron Mclain
113. Eagles D
114. Domenik Hixon
115. David Akers
116. Steve Breston
117. Rashard Mendenhall
118. Percy Harvin
119. Fred Jackson
120. Zach Miller
Round 13
121. Mark Clayton
122. Ted Ginn Jr.
123. Jeremy Maclin
124. Stephen Goskowski
125. Kyle Orton
126. Kevin Curtis
127. Chester Taylor
128. Patrick Crayton
129. David Garrard
130. Chris Chambers
Round 14
131. Nate Washington
132. Jets D
133. Ryan Longwell
134. Bears D
135. Dustin Keller
136. Matt Hasselback
137. Jeremy Shockey
138. Brian Robiskie
139. Trent Edwards
140. Bobby Engram
Round 15
141. Dolphins D
142. Nate Kading
143. Redskins D
144. Musin Muhammad
145. Panthers D
146. Ricky Williams
147. Hakeem Nicks
148. Sammy Morris
149. Jerious Norwood
150. Jake Delhome
Round 16
151. Josh Brown
152. Mason Crosby
153. Chargers D
154. Jason Elam
155. Deion Branch
156. Rob Birones
157. Michael Jenkins
158. Garret Hartley
159. Leon Washington
160. Nick Folk
Top 15 & Their Value
Steelers- Value= 9th round
Giants- Value= 11th round
Titans- Value= 11th round
Ravens- Value= 12th round
Eagles- Value= 12th/13th round
Vikings- Value= 13th round
Jets- Value= 14th round
Panthers- Value= 14th round
Patriots- Value= 14th/15th round
Dolphins- Value= 15th round
Redskins- Value= 17th round
Bears- Value= 17th round
Packers- Value= 18th round
Texans- Value= 19th/20th round
49ers- Value= 21st round
High Risk – High Reward
Patriots- Last year when Tom Brady went down for the year the Patriots were supposed to struggle on offense, little did they know that their struggles would be on the defensive side of the ball. They have one of the best defensive lines in football. It consists of Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, and Ty Warren. They also have great line-backers, Adalius Thomas, Jerod Mayo, Teddy Bruschi, and Shawne Crable. Crable isn’t a well known name but he was the Patriots 3rd round draft choice last year. They are very high on him but he was on Injured Reserve for most of last year and never got a good amount of playing time. But their real struggles came in their secondary. They were regularly beaten and only got 14 interceptions in total. The Patriots signed Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden this year. Neither of them are amazing, but they are both better than Delta O’Neil. The Patriots defense should be better this year. I predict 34 sacks, 24 interceptions, and 4 touchdowns. Don’t be afraid of drafting them.
Vikings- The Vikings probably have the best defensive line in the NFL. Consisting of Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, and Jared Allen. They can get pressure on the quarterback without even blitzing. All three of those guys are very talented, especially at stopping the run and getting sacks. In fact, if you have Clinton Portis on your team and he is playing the Vikings, you might not want to start him because the Vikings are so good at playing the run. But it’s a whole different story when you are talking about pass coverage. They are one of the leagues worst against the pass. They gave up 215.6 passing yards per game. The secondary also only picked off 12 passes. The Vikings are defiantly a defense that you want starting on your team, but just know that there is a risk that they will give up lots of passing yards and touchdowns.
Colts- The Colts defense is very respectable. They were good last year, not great, but good. They are very good against the pass and get lots of pressure on the quarterback with defense ends Dwight Freeny and Robert Mathis. But the Colts are not very good against the run. They don’t have very big line-backers and their defensive tackles aren’t very good. Last year they allowed 122.9 yards per game on the ground. Nobody will question you if you start the Colts, but they will get beaten up by the better running teams.
3 Up 3 Down
Up
Texans- The Texans are starting to form into one of the better teams in the NFL, but it’s hard for them to make the playoffs because they are in such a tight division. This is where defense comes in. Mario Williams is the heart and soul of that defense even though he has only played 3 years in the league. In the offseason, the Texans signed Cardinals DE Antonio Smith who had a tremendous post season. They also drafted USC line-backer Brian Cushing. These guys could be good, watch out.
Jets- Last year the Jets were very solid on defense. But this year I think they could be even better this year with new head coach Rex Ryan. He led a very good Ravens defense to the AFC Championship game. He also brought over Bart Scott from Baltimore. The Jets will be more than solid this year.
Dolphins- The Dolphins were a big surprise to everyone last year. Their defense was very good and good enough to get them into the playoffs. This year I expect a small decline but they still will be very good. They also added CB Vontae Davis in the draft.
Down
Cowboys- The Cowboys have a good offense, the defense is another story. They actually have a pretty good front seven; in fact, the Cowboys lead the league with 59 sacks. But their secondary is horrible. Terrence Newman is injury prone and gets beat way too often. Pacman Jones was pretty much useless, and Roy Williams was horrible in pass coverage. Overall I don’t think this is a defense that is worth drafting.
Buccaneers- What happened? Just a couple years ago the Buccaneers were the best defense in football. Now they are in the bottom half of the league. The main reason they have declined so much is age. Age has killed them over the past couple years which is why they aren’t the same unit that opposing Quarterbacks had nightmares about. Don’t risk drafting these guys, it’s not worth it.
Jaguars- The Jags have 2 good players on defense. John Henderson and Rashean Mathis. Other than that it’s just scrubs. Trust me, you don’t want them as your defense.
Risky 3
Bears- The Bears have had so much hype for the past couple of years, but they haven’t delivered. The Bears were last in forced fumbles last year. Their defensive-line can’t get a push for their life which makes line-backers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs not very effective. Corner-back Nathan Vasher is often injured and got benched a lot last year for poor tackling. I don’t want to rule out the Bears just yet, but to call them a fantasy starter is a long stretch.
Packers- The Packers are making transition this year from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense and I don’t think the switch will be effective during the first year but in a year or 2 it might be better. Star defensive-end Aaron Kampman is making a switch to outside line-backer. If he can make a smooth transition I like the Packers defense a little better, especially their line-backers. A.J. Hawk, Nick Barnett, Aaron Kampman, and rookie Clay Mathews are all studs but that’s about the only part of the defense that I like. CB’s Al Harris and Charles Woodson are way over-rated and are too slow. Overall, I think the Packers defense could be good, but they are too risky because there is no telling if they can make a smooth transition into the 3-4 defense.
Chargers- The Chargers defense didn’t live up to the hype last year. OK, so Shawne Merriman was out for the rest of the year, but the Chargers had a lot more troubles on defense then just the absence of Merriman. Antonio Cromartie was often injured and got burned way too many times. In ’07, the Chargers had 42 sacks, in ’08, they only had 28. Safety Clinton Hart played awful and line-backer Stephen Cooper lead the team interceptions. This year I expect better from the Chargers, team leaders (Antonio Cromartie and Shawne Merriman) need to show some leadership to get this defense back on track.
3 Sleepers
Panthers- The Panthers defense looks a lot better now that Julius Peppers is staying (he got slapped with the franchise tag.) But the Panthers defense looks very good. Peppers is a very good pass rusher and can take up double teams which can free up line-backers such as hard-hitting Jon Beason. Beason is very good against the run and Peppers is very good at rushing the passer and together they make a great tandem. Peppers might be a little over-rated and he wants a mega contract, but the Panthers need him and he is very disruptive to opposing quarterbacks. I predict 41 sacks, 14 interceptions, and 3 touchdowns.
49ers- Once the 49ers got rid of Mike Nolan everything seemed to go right. Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky switched their defense to a 3-4 immediately after Nolan was fired and the results were huge. In the first half of the season the 49ers allowed 28.8 points per game, in the second half they allowed 18.8 points per game. The 49ers have a very talented line-backing corps, lead by Patrick Willis. Willis has leads the NFL in tackles the past 2 years and outside line-backers Manny Lawson and Parys Haralson poise big pass rushing threats. I don’t think that corners Nate Clements and Walt Harris are very good but they might be good enough to get the job done. Overall I’m not sure if they are fantasy starter material, but they are definitely getting a lot closer. I predict 31 sacks, 21 interceptions and 3 touchdowns.
Redskins- The Redskins defense hasn’t been very good the past couple of year but I think this year they could be decent. Basically the only reason that I think that is because they signed defensive-tackle Albert Haynesworth who is a play-maker and can not only make great plays for himself, he can make all of his teammates better. He will draw tons of double teams and that leaves wide-open holes for line-backers such as Rocky McIntosh to get lots of sacks. But the Redskins defense is getting a lot older. Andre Carter, Reynaldo Wynn, and Phillip Daniels are all getting much older. Rookie DE Brian Orakpo is solid, but there is a lot of pressure on his shoulders. The Redskins defense is good, but they are on the brink of starting in your fantasy league. I predict 35 sacks, 11 interceptions, and 3 touchdowns.
Defense
Top 5
Steelers- The Steelers defense has been so good for so long. They are definitely a huge reason why the Steelers won Super Bowl 43. A big reason that the Steelers defense was so good last year was the outstanding performance of outside-linebackers James Harrison (defensive player of the year) and LaMarr Woodley. Together they combined for 27.5 sacks. Troy Polamalo is also probably the best safety in the NFL which is another reason the Steelers defense is so good. I think they could be even better this year than they were last year. I predict 51 sacks, 24 interceptions, and 5 touchdowns.
Giants- The only down-side to their defense this year is that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnola is gone. Other than that that the Giants defense should be great. They have a defensive line that just knocks out everyone in their path. Their line-backers are very strong and they have great defensive backs. There is no reason why they won’t be the best defense in the NFL. The Giants are also getting DE Osi Umineyora back from season ending knee surgery. I predict 45 sacks, 22 interceptions, and 5 touchdowns.
Titans- The Titans are in pretty good shape for the upcoming season. They are returning 10 of 11 starters from last year. But the starter that isn’t returning from last year is Albert Haynseworth. Albert was probably the best player on the Titans defense and is the best defensive tackle in the NFL. He’s now on the Redskins (they way overpaid for him.) But you can’t really complain about any of the starters on the Titans. They are all very solid. I predict 46 sacks, 17 interceptions, and 5 touchdowns.
Ravens- The Ravens defense is very tough but they do have some holes to fill. Veteran corners Chris McAllister, Samari Role, and Cory Ivy are gone. Also, defensive-coordinator Rex Ryan is now the head coach of the Jets. He took All-Pro line-backer Bart Scott with him. The Ravens defense has lots of questions but Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed are all returning to an already tough defense. Although their defense is aging, they are still effective, and are definitely a good fantasy starter. I predict 33 sacks, 20 interceptions, and 6 touchdowns.
Eagles- The Eagles defense is getting better, a lot better. But their defensive backs will be a lot different. CB Lito Sheppard and safety’s Brian Dawkins and Sean Considine are gone. New England’s Ellis Hobbs is in and CB Asante Samuel might be the only defensive back Eagles fans will remember from last season. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson loves to blitz and gets lots of sacks which will help you and your fantasy team. This year I predict 47 sacks, 20 interceptions, and 4 touchdowns.
Top 15 & Their Value
Tony Gonzalez- Value= 5th round
Jason Witten- Value= 5th/6th round
Antonio Gates- Value= 6th round
Dallas Clark- Value= 6th/7th round
Owen Daniels- Value= 8th round
Chris Cooley- Value= 8th/9th round
Greg Olsen- Value= 10th/11th round
Kellen Winslow- Value= 11th round
Zach Miller- Value= 11th/12th round
John Carlson- Value= 13th round
Dustin Keller- Value= 13th/14th round
Kevin Boss- Value= 14th round
Tony Scheffler- Value= 15th round
Jeremy Shockey- Value= 15th round
Bo Scaife- Value= 18th round
High Risk – High Reward
Dustin Keller- Keller was the first round pick by the Jets last year. He had a year you would expect from a rookie, 48 receptions for 535 yards and 3 touchdowns. These numbers aren’t spectacular but they should improve this season. He is a very similar player to Dallas Clark. They both hardly ever block which is very good for fantasy owners. Keller should have a good season and he is a border-line fantasy starter. But he is risky because in the final month of the ’08 season, he caught only 8 passes on 20 targets and it could be a sign that he might not be durable enough to play a full 16 games. The good news is that Chris Baker is out of New York and the starting job is Keller’s now. I predict 52 receptions for 581 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Bo Scaife- Bo is a very talented tight end. He never has to stay in and block because Alge Crumpler does that. So Scaife usually goes out for a pass and when someone passes him the ball he catches it, almost every time. But Bo isn’t a very big red-zone threat because the Titans run the ball so much. In fact, if the Titans didn’t run so much, his fantasy value would sky-rocket. Also, the QB situation in Tennessee isn’t quite worked out. Last year he caught 58 passes for 561 yards and 2 touchdowns. This year I predict 66 catches for 684 yards and 3 touchdowns. He is a very solid fantasy back-up.
Visanthe Shiancoe- Shiancoe was fantasy gold for the people that started him. He came up with 7 touchdowns. This is really surprising considering that the Vikings have Adrian Peterson in the back-field. Shiancoe will not put up the same numbers he did in ’08, 42 receptions for 596 yards and 7 touchdowns. This year he should have a solid year but Adrian Peterson will take away a lot of his touchdowns. And the Vikings still haven’t decided on a starting QB for the ’09 season. Visanthe Shiancoe will be a very good back-up and could provide you with some decent production this season. I predict 46 receptions for 509 yards and 4 touchdowns.
UP
Chris Cooley- Cooley had a very nice year last year. He was 2nd in the NFL in receptions (83) for a tight end and 3rd in targets (111) for a tight end. He was such a big threat in the red-zone so he was consistently double-teamed and only ended up with one touchdown. He also had to block a bit more than usual last year which hurt his receiving yards, although he still got 849. I think he will bounce back from his low scoring season and get 6 touchdowns this year. I predict 77 receptions for 851 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Greg Olsen- Olsen has good hands and is great at getting open. While tight end Desmond Clark usually stays in and blocks, Greg goes out on a pass pattern and usually is open. Jay Cutler good use him as a great target to make the Bears offense even more explosive. His stats last year weren’t spectacular, but they were good enough. This year I expect very good numbers out of him. I predict 69 receptions for 867 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Brandon Pettigrew- Brandon is a rookie this season and was by far the most complete tight end in the draft. I don’t think Pettigrew is going to become the next Tony Gonzalez but he had a good college career and rookie QB Matt Stafford will need a big target to pass to. I don’t think that he will put up fantasy starter numbers, but he will be good for years to come. I predict 41 receptions for 403 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Down
Kevin Boss- Boss turned out to be a great replacement when Shockey decided to just quit on the Giants 2 years ago. But this year I just don’t think Boss will do that great. I think he is headed downhill. He will get you a couple touchdowns but he will just kill you with his receptions and receiving yards. Last year he had 33 receptions for 384 yards and 6 touchdowns. This year I predict 34 receptions for 387 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Anthony Fasano- For anyone who took a chance on Fasano in ’08 were rewarded with 7 touchdowns. The bad news is that all of his touchdowns came inside the red-zone but he only had 11 red-zone targets. You won’t see Fasano catching that many touchdowns again this year. He isn’t very good at stretching the field or getting yards after the catch. He was a fluke in ’08. He is definitely not fantasy starter material. I predict 34 receptions for 456 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Heath Miller- Heath Miller has been productive for the Steelers in the past, but last season was close not good and I don’t expect it to get any better. Miller battled an ankle injury all year long. He is a decent red-zone target but still only caught 3 touchdowns in 2008. Ben Rothlisberger didn’t use him as much as he did in the previous couple seasons.
Risky 3
Vernon Davis- Vernon Davis was drafted in 2006 and looked like a very promising star. He is very athletic, in fact one of the most athletic players in the league. But after 3 seasons, Davis has been more of a bust than anything else. He had such high expectations and he just didn’t live up to them. Everyone thought he was going to be one of the best tight ends in the NFL. And, Head Coach Mike Singeltary has said that the 49ers will be a run first team. I predict 29 receptions for 348 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Jeremy Shockey- Shokey was battling an ankle injury all year last year. He only got 72 targets in a very “pass happy” offense. He ended up with 50 receptions for 483 yards and 0 touchdowns. This year he should be better but not nearly as good as you want him to be. He has lots of talent but Drew Brees likes to pass to his receivers more than he does to his tight ends. He will put up numbers, but they are border-line fantasy starter numbers. I predict 60 receptions for 601 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Kellen Winslow- After being healthy for 2 straight (’06 & ’07) his luck vanished in 2008 and missed 6 straight games due to a staph infection and a high ankle sprain. He has had countless knee surgeries and is very injury prone. He is probably a fantasy starter but if you draft him, make sure you get a solid back-up. Now he is out of Clevland and playing for the Buccaneers. The Bucs don’t have an elite QB and rookie (17th pick in the draft) Josh Freeman might end up starting. He will be looking for Winslow because he is a big target but don’t count on him making perfect passes every time. But Winslow is still really young, he’s only 26. This year I predict 67 receptions for 681 yards and 5 touchdowns.
3 Sleepers
Zach Miller- Miller is a very young tight end and has loads of potential. Miller finished sixth in receiving yards, seventh in targets and eighth in receptions by a tight end. All while being on one of the leagues worst offenses, the Raiders. Last year Miller caught 56 passes for 778 yards and 1 touchdown. These numbers aren’t eye-popping but they are pretty good, for a second year tight end at least. Zach Miller is 9th tight end on my Top 200 and could be even higher. If any tight end was going to break out and have an amazing season it would be Zach Miller. He is a player that you can get in the 12th round with a 7th round value. This year I predict monstrous numbers for Miller, 76 receptions for 998 yards and 6 touchdowns.
John Carlson- Carlson just played his first year in the NFL last year. He was a second round pick out of Notre Dame and drafted by the Seahawks. Even with Seahawks Quarter Back woes, Carlson still put up pretty good numbers. 55 receptions for 627 yards and 5 touchdowns. Carlson will get a lot more looks this season now that he has proven himself as a reliable tight end. If Matt Hasselback can get healthy and be back to his own self, Carlson’s numbers will be even better. I predict 61 catches for 700 yards and 6 touchdowns
Tony Scheffler- Scheffler was very productive last year, when he was healthy, which was not often. When Jay Cutler wasn’t passing to Brandon Marshall or Eddie Royal, he was passing to Scheffler. But he was battling a groin injury all year long. He has lots of talent but I’m not sure he is a good fit in Josh McDaniels offense. But new QB Kyle Orton isn’t very accurate on the deep passes so he could use a talented tight end like Tony Scheffler. Last year Scheffler led all tight ends with 16.1 yards per catch average. This year I predict 48 receptions for 591 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Tight Ends
Top 5
Tony Gonzalez- Gonzalez put up unbelievable numbers in 2008. He had better numbers than most wide-receivers, 96 receptions for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Chiefs. But now he is on the Falcons who are a run first offense. His numbers might dip a little bit but I love what he can bring to the Atlanta offense. Couch Mike Smith isn’t going to change his offense just because he has the new tight end who is a great pass catcher. But this makes Tony even more dangerous. When he catches the ball opposing defenses won’t be expecting it, especially on first down. They will expect Michael Turner to run it up the gut or break a big one to the outside. I like that Tony Gonzalez has Matt Ryan as a QB now instead of Tyler Thigpen. Ryan will find more ways to get Tony the ball. He also should get lots of red-zone targets. I predict that Tony will get 83 receptions for 1,003 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Jason Witten- I think Jason Witten can have a monster season this year. The main reason is because T.O. is out which means Tony Romo can focus even more on Jason Witten. Witten was Romo’s favorite target even while Owens was a Cowboy and now that T.O. is gone, Witten should get a lot more looks. Witten had an amazing ’07 (96 receptions for 1,145 yards and 7 touchdowns) but followed it up with a less amazing ’08 (81 receptions for 952 yards and 4 touchdowns.) This year should be somewhere in between. Jason has been a good tight end for a while and he is a 5th or 6th round value. I predict 82 receptions for 919 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Antonio Gates- Gates has been a top 5 tight end for it seems like for ever now. And there’s a good reason too. He can catch. He has amazing hands. His numbers were a little down last season because he was battling a toe injury all year long. But he still ended up with 60 receptions for 704 yards and 8 touchdowns. He will get you lots of touchdowns and could be a decisive factor for you and your team. He is the main target for QB Philip Rivers and Philip looks for him in the red-zone a lot which means even more touchdowns. This year I predict that Gates will catch 73 passes for 898 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Dallas Clark- Clark has always, and will always, (for a while at least) be a top fantasy tight end. He just feeds off of the great passes the Peyton Manning throws. He has great speed and amazing hands and likes to stretch the field. This year will be a little different. Marvin Harrison was cut and Head Coach Tony Dungy resigned so the play of the Colts might be a little different. But Clark will still be gvery effective. Last year he caught 77 passes for 848 yards and 6 touchdowns. This year I predict that he will catch 70 passes for 799 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Owen Daniels- Daniels exploded onto the fantasy scene last year. He got 70 receptions for 862 yards and 2 touchdowns. Only 2 touchdowns! He hasn’t scored a touchdown that has been more than 6 yards for the past to sesasons. But this year is going to be different. Owens can stretch the field and is a big part of the Texans vertical offense. Matt Schuab will find ways to get him the ball over the middle of the field. He will find more ways to get into the end-zone. I have a feeling that Daniels is poised for a break-out season. I predict that he will catch 83 passes for 1,007 yards and 5 touchdowns.
