2006 Fantasy Tight End Rankings

January 24, 2006 4:00 PM ET

When it comes to tight ends, there's Antonio Gates… and then there's a chasm the size of the Grand Canyon… and then there's everybody else.

Just as quickly as Gates arrived on the scene last year, he left former position kingpin Tony Gonzalez in his wake in 2005. He's unquestionably the best fantasy tight end in football, and no one else is even close. There's already talk that Gates may creep into the early second round or—gasp!—late first round of some fantasy drafts next year. Yes, he's that good.

In fact, Gates is so good that some productive efforts that, in other seasons, might have been lauded are barely blips on the radar.

The good news for fantasy fans is that there are enough up-and-coming tight ends to make missing out on Gates bearable.

Here's a glance back at the ups and downs of the 2005 season, as well as a peek at what might be in store for 2006:

What Went Right in 2005
Antonio Gates picked up right where he left off—after sitting out a club-mandated one-game suspension at the start of the season that quite possibly cost San Diego a playoff spot—with 10 touchdowns and 1,101 yards to pace all tight ends. Moreover, he has 23 touchdowns in his last 27 games—a pace most wide receivers would kill for and one you'd probably even accept from your running backs. He has to be defended like a wide receiver, and until clubs figure out how to contain him he's pure fantasy gold.

While nit-picking commissioners debated whether an H-back is technically a running back or a tight end, Chris Cooley followed up what many assumed was a flukish six touchdowns in 2004 with seven touchdowns in 2005. He also nearly doubled his catches, more than doubled his yardage, and quite possibly single-handedly altered fantasy fates with his three-touchdown explosion in week 15.

A pair of tight ends long on potential but for the most part lacking on delivery heading into the season finally lived up to the hype. Despite missing the final game of the season, Jeremy Shockey posted a career-best seven touchdowns and came within three yards of matching his personal high of 894 yards, set during his rookie season. Todd Heap was similarly successful despite the tag team of Anthony Wright and Kyle Boller at quarterback, and he too notched career highs in yardage (855) and scores (seven).

What Went Somewhat Right in 2005
Yardage-wise, it was business as usual for Tony Gonzalez, who topped 900 yards for the fifth time in six years. Unfortunately, he was an afterthought in the red zone and scored just two touchdowns—a seven-year low for the former positional kingpin.

Alge Crumpler remained Michael Vick's favorite target. Unfortunately, while that meant a career-high 877 yards it also meant just five touchdowns—none in the final five games of the season.

Rookies Heath Miller and Alex Smith started with a bang, scoring thrice during kickoff weekend. Miller would score five more times over the next five weeks before being shut out for the final nine weeks of the season. At least he got back to the end zone; Smith failed to score another touchdown all season.

Collectively, Titans tight ends caught 149 balls for 1,359 yards and eight touchdowns; unfortunately, those digits were spread amongst four players. Co-leaders Erron Kinney and Ben Troupe each recorded 55 catches but also took turns getting hurt or giving up stats to the other guy—or to third tight end Bo Scaife.

What Went Wrong in 2005
Over the past four seasons, Bubba Franks had been a red zone security blanket for Brett Favre, scoring an average of seven touchdowns per year. Injuries limited Franks to just 10 games in 2005, but that can't be the only explanation for him reaching paydirt just once all season long.

L.J. Smith was supposed to emerge as the alternate target to Terrell Owens. Then, when T.O. went crazy, Smith should have become the go-to guy. Unfortunately, he just plain disappeared, failing to score after Halloween and posting almost half as many touchdowns as last year despite almost twice as many catches.

When the Jets gave up a first-round draft pick to acquire Doug Jolley from the Raiders, one had to assume that Jets offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger was about to turn Jolley into the next Frank Wycheck. Instead, Jolley was missing in action for the first three months of the season before recording a third of his catches and yardage—and his lone touchdown—in one game in mid-December.

Jermaine Wiggins led the Vikings in receiving in 2004 and should have been a perfect match with quarterback Brad Johnson's short-arm attack. Instead, Wiggy caught two fewer passes in two more games, shaved almost 150 yards off his total, and scored just one touchdown.

Looking Ahead to 2006
The future doesn't appear to hold much change at the tight end position. Gates is still far and away the most significant fantasy player, and he'll be followed by the usual assortment of guys whose ceiling is in the 900-yard, eight-to-10 touchdown area. There are no big-name free agents at the position, unless you include Brandon Manumaleuna, but the draft could yield an intriguing candidate or two. Kellen Winslow may finally be ready to play some football in Cleveland, but aside from his potential presence the list will be largely unchanged from what we saw in 2005.

1. Antonio Gates, Chargers: Such a difference-maker at his position that he could conceivably creep into the bottom of the first round.
2. Jeremy Shockey, Giants: Assuming Eli Manning continues to develop, Shockey could easily turn into the Giants' red-zone go-to guy.
3. Todd Heap, Ravens: Will the addition of legitimate wide receivers in Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton help or hurt?
4. Alge Crumpler, Falcons: Still the best pass-catcher on Atlanta's roster.
5. Chris Cooley, Redskins: Will Al Saunders turn him into the next Gonzo?
6. Heath Miller, Steelers: If Jerome Bettis retires, he could become the Steelers' top red-zone option.
7. Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs: Herm Edwards didn't exactly overwork his tight ends in New York, and Gonzo appears to be trending downward in a run-first offense.
8. Ben Troupe, Titans: It's time for him to step to the fore and produce on a consistent basis.
9. Dallas Clark, Colts: Another candidate for more red-zone love if his team loses their touchdown-scoring running back.
10. L.J. Smith, Eagles: He'll benefit from having Donavan McNabb throwing him the ball instead of Mike McMahon.
11. Jason Witten, Cowboys: We can still see Patrick Crayton stealing Witten's thunder and hear Bill Parcells saying it doesn't matter who catches the ball.

12. Ben Watson, Patriots: He's simply too talented to remain in Daniel Graham's shadow much longer.
13. Jerramy Stevens, Seahawks: Finished strong (three touchdowns in his last four games, another one in the NFC title game) and appears to have put the off-field stuff behind him (knock on wood).
14. Jermaine Wiggins, Vikings: The West Coast offense usually means good things for the tight end.
15. Randy McMichael, Dolphins: Just three of his 15 career touchdowns have come after Halloween.

Bust: Marcus Pollard, Lions: The decision to take the $6 million and close out his career catching balls from Joey Harrington instead of Peyton Manning isn't really panning out.

Sleeper (1): Kellen Winslow, Browns: If Steve Heiden and Aaron Shea can combine for 61 catches, 554 yards, and four touchdowns, one has to like the chances of a presumably healthy (and contractually motivated) Winslow putting up very nice numbers.

Sleeper (2): Wesley Duke, Broncos: Denver may have found "the next Antonio Gates" in Duke, who played college hoops at Mercer and is still learning the game of football. The Broncos could use a playmaker in the passing game; why not the Duke?

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