1. Jermichael Finley
Finley entered 2009 as a fantasy sleeper prospect and delivered. The young TE started off slow but ended strong, finishing with 55 catches and 5 TDs. Much more can be expected this year.
First off, he’s the No. 1 TE from day one, so no more splitting time with Donald Lee, and second, the Packers offense will put up points in droves. Finley’s also one of Aaron Rodgers‘ favorite targets. Expect him to finish as a top 5 fantasy football TE in 2010.
2. Zach Miller
Potential fantasy owners of Zach Miller have had their prayers answered: QB JaMarcus Russell is gone. Jason Campbell is now the starter and he has a strong history of meshing well with Tight Ends (see his time with Chris Cooley). The Raiders lack of talent at receiver also bodes well for Miller. It means he’ll be the No. 1 option in the passing game and should double – possibly triple – his TD total of a year ago (3).
3. Chris Cooley
Cooley’s 2009 season ended early due to injury. But it was off to a slow start playing in the Jim Zorn/Jason Campbell led offense. The Mike Shanahan/Donovan McNabb led offense instantly raises Cooley’s fantasy football value and we expect a huge year. McNabb has always been friendly to his Tight Ends and the Skins don’t possess much talent at the skill positions outside of WR Santana Moss.
Fallers
1. Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates is still a top TE who will be the first or second TE taken in the fantasy draft. He finished 3rd for TEs in 2009 with 156 fantasy points on 1157 receiving yards and 8 TDs. But there are warning signs heading into this season The main one being the potential holdout of WR Vincent Jackson.
His presence kept a Safety to his side of the field and afforded Gates one-on-one matchups. Without him in the lineup, opposing teams can now double – maybe triple – Gates until another of the unproven receivers step up, which is no guarantee. He will be a marked man and his stats are sure to take a hit.
2. Owen Daniels
He was off to a big season before tearing his ACL at the midway point. It usually takes a year to recover from this injury and means he’ll be limited in his route running. Some of the early season positional rankings have Daniels slated between No. 7 and No. 9, but we think you’re better off looking elsewhere. The Texans are committed to running the ball more in 2010 and the lack of “airing it out” will have a negative effect on his numbers.
3. Greg Olsen
Regardless of what’s been said in the press of late, the TE is the most overlooked position in Mike Martz’ offense. His system has always been built around speed receivers, timing patterns, and running backs who can catch out of the backfield. While Olsen finished in the top 10 in scoring for TEs a year ago, three of those came in one game, and there was much inconsistency in between. We think it will be more of the same this year. While a talented player, it’s “buyer beware” for anyone who drafts Olsen as their No. 1 TE.
Pro Football 101» 2010 Fantasy Football Draft Rankings – Top 25 TEs
August 22nd, 2010 at 10:47
Return to top
[...] Jermichael Finley – Rising star is an Aaron Rodgers [...]