2010 TE Rankings

The tight end position is deeper than ever. Long gone are the days of praying for Shannon Sharpe or getting stuck with somebody who spends most of his time blocking.

Sure, you had Dallas Clark (100 catches, 1,106 yards) and Vernon Davis (13 TDs) putting up WR-caliber numbers last year, but if you miss out on the top couple guys, all is not lost. Check this out: In 2009, eight TEs had 800 or more yards, and 11 had six or more TDs. In 2008, there were five and five, respectively. In 2007? Four and seven. Feel me?

The TE ranks are loaded, so you should adjust your draft strategy accordingly. You can grab one of the top-tier guys starting around Round 5 if the big WRs are off the board, or you can wait out a run on TEs not suffer that much of a drop-off.

As you peruse my rankings you'll notice a few things:

I put young guns Jermichael Finley and Brent Celek in the top five, at the expense of stalwarts like Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten. I just think they both have more upside, but I'd be content with just about everyone in the top 11 as my starter.

It'll be interesting to see how the Chris Cooley/Fred Davis pass distribution works out with Donovan McNabb taking over as QB in Washington. Those guys could hurt each other, or one could emerge as a top-10 fantasy TE. We'll just have to wait and see.

You'll notice I'm not too high on Greg Olsen, who I tabbed as one of my busts a few weeks back. Mike Martz won't do any favors for his fantasy value.

Remember when Jeremy Shockey was among the cream of the crop? If the guy could stay off the trainer's table, he might still be there. But even if he can't play 16 games, he'll get enough good looks in New Orleans to be a solid fantasy backup.

Looking for a really deep sleeper? How about Jared Cook in Tennessee? He had a rough rookie year (9 catches, ankle injury, residence in coaches' doghouse), but he's 6-foot-5 and 242 pounds with 4.4 speed, for gosh sakes, he's only got Bo Scaife ahead of him on the Titans depth chart. He could do something.

1. Antonio Gates
2. Dallas Clark
3. Jermichael Finley
4. Brent Celek
5. Vernon Davis
6. Tony Gonzalez
7. Jason Witten
8. Zach Miller
9. Visanthe Shiancoe
10. Kellen Winslow II
11. Owen Daniels
12. Chris Cooley
13. Heath Miller
14. John Carlson
15. Kevin Boss
16. Greg Olsen
17. Dustin Keller
18. Jeremy Shockey
19. Tony Scheffler
20. Fred Davis
21. Anthony Fasano
22. Todd Heap
23. Marcedes Lewis
24. Ben Watson
25. Bo Scaife
26. Jermaine Gresham
27. Brandon Pettigrew
28. Aaron Hernandez
29. Jared Cook
30. Shawn Nelson


Photo by The Associated Press

8/12 Sleeper of the Day: Kevin Kolb

QB KEVIN KOLB, Eagles



There’s a reason the Eagles let Donovan McNabb go. This guy is it.

Philly’s QB of the future gets his shot with McNabb having been unceremoniously run out of town. He’ll be under a ton of pressure, of course (Philly and pressure are almost synonymous when it comes to sports), but the Eagles are betting he’s ready after a three-year apprenticeship. Other than the high expectations of Iggles fans, Kolb steps into an almost ideal situation.

The Texas Tech product has spent three seasons learning Andy Reid’s West Coast offense, and in two fill-in starts in 2009 he proved he's got a handle on it. He torched the Saints in Week 2, throwing for 391 yards and two 2Ds on 31-for-51 passing (but also tossed two INTs), then followed that with a 24-for-34, 327-yard, two-TD obliteration of the Chiefs. In doing so he became the first NFL QB to throw for 300 or more yards in his first two career starts.

Here's why I like Kolb this year, aside from his obvious skills: he's playing for a pass-happy team. Reid's Eagles have been among the top 10 in pass attempts in each of the past six seasons and could skew even more in that direction this year with the departure of RB Brian Westbrook. And to top it off, Kolb has some terrific young skill players to throw to in WRs DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin and emerging TE Brent Celek. I think you'll see Reid show confidence in Kolb airing it out on a weekly basis, giving him a chance to finish as a top-10 fantasy QB. There's some risk here, but not as much as you might think, and there could be a great payoff for those who scoop Kolb up after some bigger names are off the board.

Skins game: Donovan to D.C.

I'm still trying to figure out what the Philadelphia Eagles were thinking shipping their franchise QB to the Washington Redskins. I'm not opposed to Philly dealing Donovan McNabb, per se - that kind of unsentimental shedding of aging veterans has been the Eagles' way for a while now. But I am surprised they're willing to open themselves up to possibly being embarrassed by a highly motivated McNabb twice a season for the next 2-3 years.

Regardless of the Eagles' rationale, the move will have reverberations in fantasy play. For starters, McNabb has to be downgraded a bit as he moves behind a leaky offensive line that hasn't been able to protect Redskins QB Jason Campbell for years, lost its best cog with Chris Samuels' retirement this offseason and will be implementing a new blocking scheme under new coach Mike Shanahan in 2010. McNabb also leaves behind a talented trio of emerging pass-catchers (DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek) and the comfort of coach Andy Reid's West Coast system that nurtured McNabb into a fantasy stalwart. McNabb may be a serviceable fantasy QB, but there are too many question marks to count on him as your starter at this point.

On the Philly side, new starter Kevin Kolb is an intriguing fantasy prospect because of the weapons surrounding him and the trust his franchise apparently has in him. Kolb did have some nice numbers in two career starts in 2009 (718 yards, 4 TDs against the Saints and Chiefs), but for now I'm considering him a No. 2 fantasy QB with some upside.

And a final note: What's up with Washington and these aging RBs? Clinton Portis, plus Larry Johnson, PLUS Willie Parker? Good luck figuring out that logjam.

Photo by McClatchy Tribune

Hot pickups: Week 3

FIVE STARS (Out of five)

-WRs MARIO MANNINGHAM and STEVE SMITH, Giants: Who says the G-Men don't have a big-time receiver? In fact they have two, as these two proved by catching 10 balls and a TD apiece against the Cowboys. Manningham (above) is a better pickup in TD-heavy leagues, while Smith, the second coming of Amani Toomer, is a good choice for PPR formats. Both are worth a start against the Bucs.

FOUR STARS

- QB KEVIN KOLB, Eagles: A lot of good (391 yards, 2 TDs) and a lot of bad (3 INTs) in his first career start last week. The kid could replicate those numbers against the Chiefs D, assuming Donovan McNabb can't go again and Brian Westbrook is hampered by his ankle injury.

- TE BRENT CELEK, Eagles: He was already a good draft choice as your second TE with McNabb tossing him the ball. But Kolb liked him even more in Week 2 (8 catches, 104 yards) and should rely on him again vs. K.C.

- RB CEDRIC BENSON, Bengals: A feature back who runs for 141 yards has to be picked up, but I don't like him as a starter this week against Pittsburgh, and he's got several more tough matchups on the horizon.

TWO STARS

- WR MIKE SIMS-WALKER, Jaguars: Had an impressive 106 yards and a TD against Arizona, one week after registering 0 catches. Troy Williamson is out for the year, so he should have some more passes coming his way this week at Houston.