Tier rankings: Tight ends

By foxsports
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Tier rankings: Tight ends
  Receiving Total
Rk Player Tm Gm Rec Yds TD Yds/Gm Yds/Rec Targets 100-Yd 2-TD
1 Jason Witten DAL 16 81 952 4 59.5 11.8 121 2 0
Round 4 Achieving career highs in receptions (96), yards (1,145) and scores (7) are within reach as Tony Romo's clear No. 1 target.
2 Tony Gonzalez ATL 16 96 1,058 10 66.1 11.0 155 3 1
Round 4 At age 33, he clinched consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and double-digit scores, accomplishing this with 4 different QBs. Now he's playing with his best QB in recent seasons.
3 Antonio Gates SD 16 60 704 8 44.0 11.7 92 0 1
Round 4 His production has fallen, but he was still a top 5 tight end last year. With Rivers, he still has a high ceiling to produce excellent stats.
4 Kellen Winslow TB 10 43 428 3 42.8 10.0 82 1 1
Round 5-6 Reflecting the Bucs' devotion to him, he signed a long-term contract. His 2007 stats (82 catches, 1,106 yards) are within reach.
5 Dallas Clark IND 15 77 848 6 56.5 11.0 107 2 1
Round 7-8 Will likely be Manning's No. 3 receiver, giving him a chance to remain a top 5 TE as a consistent yardage and scoring threat.
6 Chris Cooley WAS 16 83 849 1 53.1 10.2 111 1 0
Round 7-8 Had the second-most catches and fourth-most yards among TEs, which were also career highs. TDs should increase again.
7 Greg Olsen CHI 16 54 574 5 35.9 10.6 82 0 0
Round 7-8 Jay Cutler will help him achieve career highs in catches, yards and scores, and he'll be a weekly start no matter the foe.
8 Owen Daniels HOU 16 70 862 2 53.9 12.3 101 2 1
Round 7-8 Utilized heavily in offense, he can duplicate his season of ranking fifth in catches and third in yards among TEs. He can also score more TDs.
9 Jeremy Shockey NO 12 50 483 0 40.3 9.7 72 0 0
Rounds 9-10 2008 stats project to 67 catches and 644 yards for a full season. Just needs to stay healthy, and TDs will arrive with Drew Brees.
10 John Carlson SEA 16 55 627 5 39.2 11.4 80 1 0
Rounds 9-10 Having Matt Hasselbeck for a full season will help ensure he's a fantasy starter. He'll keep improving in second year as well.
11 Dustin Keller NYJ 16 48 535 3 33.4 11.1 78 1 0
Rounds 9-10 Last year's first-rounder will likely be Jets' No. 2 receiver. He also has the receiving skills and talent to be a fantasy starter.
12 Zach Miller OAK 16 56 778 1 48.6 13.9 86 0 0
Rounds 9-10 The QB position promises to be improved, and the Raiders feature the TE extensively. Miller will be a potential fantasy starter.
13 Tony Scheffler DEN 13 40 645 3 49.6 16.1 61 0 1
Rounds 11-12 He has durability and attitude concerns. But he could be valuable as a safety net while Denver's new quarterback learns a new offense.
14 Heath Miller PIT 14 48 514 3 36.7 10.7 65 0 0
Rounds 11-12 He finished top 15 in catches and yards at TE last year and likely will remain one of Big Ben's top three receiving options.
15 Todd Heap BAL 16 35 403 3 25.2 11.5 64 0 1
Rounds 11-12 Injuries have reduced a once-top 5 tight end into a big question mark. His potential remains high in a conservative offense.
16 Bo Scaife TEN 16 58 561 2 35.1 9.7 84 1 0
Rounds 11-12 Led Titans in catches to finish seventh among all tight ends. Tennessee's run-first offense features the TE extensively, but it offers few passing scores in the system.
17 Jermichael Finley GB 14 6 74 1 5.3 12.3 12 0 0
Rounds 11-12 He's a prime breakout candidate entering his second season. He scored two twice in Green Bay's third preseason game.
18 Anthony Fasano MIA 16 34 454 7 28.4 13.4 53 0 1
Rounds 13-14 He recorded the third-most scores at TE, ranking after Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates. Now he will battle David Martin for catches, though.
19 Visanthe Shiancoe MIN 16 42 596 7 37.3 14.2 59 1 1
Rounds 13-14 He placed in the top 10 among fantasy TEs by ranking 16th in catches, 10th in yards and 3rd in TDs. He'll receiving stronger QB play, ensuring success.
20 Brent Celek PHI 16 27 318 1 19.9 11.8 38 0 0
Rounds 13-14 A sign of things to come? In the postseason, he led all tight ends with receptions (19) and TDs (3), and ranked second in yards (151) at the position.
21 Desmond Clark CHI 16 41 367 1 22.9 9.0 73 0 0
Tier 7 The addition of Cutler will boost his stats, especially with scoring touchdowns. But he will still defer to Olsen in the offense.
22 Kevin Boss NYG 15 33 384 6 25.6 11.6 55 0 0
Tier 7 He is a downgrade from Shockey despite receiving more positive press. He had the 4th-most TDs, but ranked just in the top 25 in catches and yards at TE.
23 Vernon Davis SF 16 31 358 2 22.4 11.5 49 0 0
Tier 7 He hasn't met expectations, and is regressing instead of progressing. His TDs were cut in half, his catches sank 40 percent and his yards fell 30 percent.
24 Brandon Pettigrew DET 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tier 7 He could emerge as Detroit's No. 2 receiver. Ranked second on Oklahoma State for receptions (42) and yards (472) last year.
25 Martellus Bennett DAL 16 20 283 4 17.7 14.2 27 0 0
Tier 7 Despite his paltry stats as a rookie, he averaged a TD for every five catches and finished in the top 10 for scoring at TE. Expect an expanded role.
26 Marcedes Lewis JAC 16 41 489 2 30.6 11.9 72 0 0
Tier 8 He ranked among the top 17 for catches and yards at TE. Jacksonville's shaky WR depth helps him remain involved in offense and serve as a bye replacement.
27 Travis Beckum NYG 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tier 8 His pro stock dropped after his senior year, similar to John Carlson. But he has the potential to be an outstanding receiver if he can earn Eli Manning's trust.
28 Alex Smith PHI 14 21 250 3 17.9 11.9 38 0 0
Tier 8 He's scored 11 touchdown during his four-year career and can be utilizied as a red-zone threat.
29 Robert Royal CLE 15 33 351 1 23.4 10.6 57 0 0
Tier 8 He will be competing with Steve Heiden (who is recovering from knee injuries) and promising second-year Martin Rucker for catches.
30 Randy McMichael STL 4 11 139 0 34.8 12.6 21 0 0
Tier 8 Before his injury, his 2008 stats project to 44 catches and 556 yards for a full season. He could emerge as a viable target as the result of the Rams' inexperienced WR group
31 Chase Coffman CIN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tier 8 A prolific receiving tight end at Missouri, Coffman has a chance to make an immediate impact in his rookie season.
32 Ben Watson NE 14 22 209 2 14.9 9.5 47 0 0
Tier 8 Tight ends caught eight of Tom Brady's 50 TD passes in 2007, but they are targeted infrequently in the passing game, otherwise.
33 David Thomas NO 15 9 93 0 6.2 10.3 17 0 0
34 David Martin MIA 16 31 450 3 28.1 14.5 45 0 0
35 Jared Cook TEN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
36 L.J. Smith BAL 13 37 298 3 22.9 8.1 64 0 0
37 Jeff King CAR 16 21 195 1 12.2 9.3 33 0 0
38 Gijon Robinson IND 15 19 166 0 11.1 8.7 24 0 0
39 Jerramy Stevens TB 14 36 397 2 28.4 11.0 59 0 0
40 Donald Lee GB 16 39 303 5 18.9 7.8 50 0 0
41 Delanie Walker SF 15 10 155 1 10.3 15.5 16 0 0
42 Jim Kleinsasser MIN 16 6 92 0 5.8 15.3 13 0 0
43 Alge Crumpler TEN 15 24 257 1 17.1 10.7 41 0 0
44 Brandon Manumaleuna SD 16 15 127 2 7.9 8.5 19 0 0
45 Steve Heiden CLE 14 23 249 0 17.8 10.8 43 0 0
46 Shawn Nelson BUF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
47 Matt Spaeth PIT 16 17 136 0 8 8 26 0 0
48 Chris Baker NE 16 21 194 0 12.1 9.2 30 0 0
49 Brad Cottam KC 16 7 63 0 3.9 9 11 0 0
50 Anthony Becht ARI 16 6 39 0 2.7 9 11 0 0