Aug. 4, 2010

2010 Draft Prep: How to address tight ends

By Jamey Eisenberg | Senior Fantasy Writer
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Dallas Clark knows it's a good time to be a tight end in the NFL. No longer are tight ends viewed as glorified offensive linemen, but rather an integral part of an offense. And Clark loves it.

Clark, the starting tight end for the Colts, is coming off an outstanding year in 2009 when he had 100 catches for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has helped set the standard for the new wave of tight ends in the NFL, and he sees the position growing, which is a benefit for Fantasy owners.

"It's changed a lot," Clark said. "The position has gone in a direction where it has given people like me – I'm not 270 (pounds) or a glorified tackle. I'm not going to be blowing any defensive end off the line of scrimmage or driving anyone back. It just gives us a chance to give the offense a different option and defenses a different thing to try to defend."

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The tight end position has changed dramatically since the start of the decade, and it's altered how Fantasy owners prepare on Draft Day. Remember the days when you drafted tight ends like Kyle Brady and Bubba Franks just to fill a mandatory position in your Fantasy league? You hoped for a touchdown here or there and cursed your commissioner for making you start a worthless player.

Thankfully, those days are over. And the biggest reason why came when the NFL enhanced its rules on defensive holding and pass interference. With defenders not able to grab and bump route-runners after 5 yards, today's larger and faster tight ends are able to run unimpeded downfield against overmatched linebackers and smaller safeties.

"The thing about being a tight end (now), you can line up in a lot of different positions, you can do a lot of different things," Clark said. "I can be in the backfield. I can be out wide and try to act like a receiver sometimes and be in with the big guys and try to block big defensive ends. I just love the versatility of the position and being able to do different things. Each week you do different things, and that's what I enjoy the most about the position."

In 2009, 14 tight ends had at least 50 catches, 11 had at least 600 yards and 16 had at least five touchdowns. If you go back to 2000, there were only six tight ends who reached each of those marks.

Clark credits tight ends like Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates for changing the way the position has been used by coaches and offensive coordinators.

"It brings a smile to my face," Gates said in an interview with CBSSports.com. "I feel like that position hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. To see guys evolve and to see guys come to me as a guy that they look to, it makes me feel like I'm doing my part as a guy that's been around. I want to be a guy that you can look at and say that's the way this position is supposed to be played."

This year should see another increase in production with the number of talented tight ends around the league. Fantasy owners know all about Clark, Gates, Gonzalez and Jason Witten, but that's just scratching the surface of potential starters.

Vernon Davis finally lived up to his potential last year when he scored 13 touchdowns, which tied the NFL record for touchdowns in a season by a tight end. Brent Celek had a breakout year, and he should remain at a high level even with the quarterback switch from Donovan McNabb to Kevin Kolb. Jermichael Finley is also on the rise in Green Bay's explosive offense.

Chris Cooley (ankle), Owen Daniels (knee) and Kellen Winslow (knee) have to overcome injuries, but they remain No. 1 Fantasy options. Visanthe Shiancoe's status hinges on the possible return of Brett Favre while Zach Miller should also improve with the quarterback change from JaMarcus Russell to Jason Campbell, which is why Miller is one of our favorite sleepers.

Then there's a group of tight ends who could surprise this year or be serviceable backups in John Carlson, Dustin Keller, Heath Miller, Greg Olsen and Kevin Boss. The position is loaded with talent.

"It's evolved," Heath Miller told CBSSports.com. "So many teams are splitting tight ends out. Guys are becoming more and more used to doing a lot of things and catching a ton of balls. Offenses are using those types of tight ends more. It's fun. It's fun to be able to do different stuff."

On Draft Day, the top tight ends in Clark, Gates, Davis, Witten and Gonzalez will start to come off the board in Round 4. Celek and Finley will follow within the next two rounds, and that's when you should start looking for sleepers like Cooley, Daniels, Zach Miller and Carlson.

There are two ways to view tight ends this season: Draft a stud like Clark, who has the chance to post stats like a wide receiver. Or wait for someone who's a notch lower as you build your team with stars at running back and wide receiver.

The good thing is with all the talent at tight end this year, you really can't go wrong, and hopefully it continues to get better each season. No one wants to go back to using tight ends like Brady and Franks again. That just wasn't any fun.

Tier time

Separating tight ends into tiers is a useful way to set up a cheat sheet on Draft Day. It's a helpful tool to let you know when a player should start to come off the board.

For example, a tight end in Tier 1 will likely be drafted by Round 6 in all leagues, with the traditional "run" starting in Round 4. There's a reason these tight ends go early on Draft Day, and it's because they are elite players.

But the tight ends in Tier 2 and 3 could also be impact players, and these are the tight ends you can wait on if you build your team with depth at running back and wide receiver. The tight ends in these two groups can be drafted starting in Round 7, and you might be able to wait until Round 10 to still get a quality starter.

It's all a matter of personal choice, and I usually build my team by getting a tight end with a later pick. It's not that I don't value players like Clark and Gates, but I prefer to wait for a tight end while stockpiling talent at other positions.

Bye-week cheat sheet

Last year, the Top 15 worst teams at defending tight ends based on Fantasy points allowed were the Giants, Eagles, Lions, Browns, Vikings, Falcons, Cardinals, Titans, Bears, Packers, Buccaneers, Dolphins, Texans, Rams and Chiefs. With that in mind, here are some bye-week options for you to consider if you're looking for a No. 2 tight end on Draft Day to use when your starter is off.

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