1-10 NFL Fantasy Tight End Rankings | 11-20 NFL Fantasy Tight End Rankings


RANK Player w/ 2006 Stats Receptions Yards Average Touchdowns Fantasy Points
1 Antonio Gates, SD 71 924 13.0 9 138
It's a no-brainer that Antonio Gates is the best tight end in fantasy football. The biggest question with regards to Gates is, "Where do you draft him?" More likely than not, somebody is going to taken him earlier than they should and if you follow my advice, you probably won't have him on your team. Tight end is surprisingly deep this year and there are several guys that should put up at least 800 yards and 6 TDs. So I would take Gates in the 5th round (RB, RB, QB, WR, then Gates), but it's more likely that he'll be gone in the 3rd or early 4th round in your draft.
2 Tony Gonzalez, KC 73 900 12.3 5 115
Even at 31 years old, Gonzo is still an elite fantasy tight end. Like Gates, he's the primary option in the Chiefs passing game and he still has the speed and skill to take advantage of the mismatches that he faces on a weekly basis. Tony Gonzalez puts up quality numbers every year and he makes a very sensible and safe choice at TE.
3 Kellen Winslow, CLE 89 875 9.8 3 101
Kellen Winslow was #1 amongst all tight ends in receptions (16 catches better than #2) and #3 in yards (only 49 yards behind Gates). He'll be the go-to guy for whoever the QB is in Cleveland and I expect his fantasy points output to be even higher in '07 because he'll surely catch more than 3 TD passes. The injury risk is there, but the reward if he's healthy is even greater.
4 Todd Heap, BAL 73 765 10.5 6 103
Add Heap to the list of elite tight ends playing for teams with mediocre wide receivers. Aside from an injury-plagued 2004, Heap has been a consistently productive fantasy TE during his career. Look for him to come off of the board around round 5.
5 Jeremy Shockey, NYG 66 623 9.4 7 94
Shockey has caught 61, 65, and 66 receptions over the last three season with 6, 7, and 7 touchdowns in those seasons as well. So obviously he's been amazingly consistent over the last three years, but he hasn't exactly been amazing either. He's a quality top-5 TE and should go around round 6.
6 Chris Cooley, WAS 57 734 12.9 6 105
The fourth year pro of the Redskins has put together two straight top-5 fantasy TE seasons and he may be even better in '07. Cooley should be a favorite target of starting QB Jason Campbell and he could be a mini-sleeper this year. Expect him to go in the 7th round.
7 Vernon Davis, SF 20 265 13.2 3 35
Vernon Davis is an incredibly talented and athletic player and he's looking to attain elite status in only his 2nd year in the league. He doesn't have the track record of proven consistency that the six names you see above him here possess, so I would lean towards one of those guys before going to Davis. The sky is the limit for Davis, but I'm not sure he'll reach that height this season.
8 Alge Crumpler, ATL 56 780 13.9 8 116
Statistically, four-time Pro Bowler Alge Crumpler was the second-best tight end in the league last year. Unfortunately, he had offseason knee surgery and the recovery has not gone smoothly. Early in training camp doctors decided to shut him down for a period of time to rebound from the latest complication. The doctors don't see to think the problem is serious, so expect Crumpler to be available for the majority of the season, but I prefer to stay away from just about everybody in Atlanta this year.
9 Jason Witten, DAL 64 754 11.8 1 70
Witten put up quality numbers in '06, but he only caught one touchdown pass. He's probably only the 3rd option in the passing game and reports have guessed that QB Tony Romo may not have developed trust in his tight ends yet. Consider Witten a No. 1 fantasy TE, but put him in the 2nd tier of the TE group.
10 Ben Watson, NE 49 645 13.2 3 83
Ben Watson is really the wildcard in the TE group this season. He was supposed to have a breakout year in '06, but he didn't quite live up to the hype. Now, in '07 the New England Patriots are stacked in the passing game with Moss, Stallworth, Welker, Washington, etc. Does that mean that the field is going to be wide open and Watson is going to catch a ton of balls over the middle or is he going to get lost in the shuffle?


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