October 21, 2010

The Year of the Broken Tight End

First off, boy does that title sound dirty. Ok. Child's sense of humor out of the way. And away we go.

So your draft goes according to plan, and you look down at your lineup thinking, "How could I possibly NOT win a championship this year?". You follow that up with, "My tight end slot is set with (Dallas Clark/ Antonio Gates/ Jermichael Finley/ Brent Celek), that's for sure. Of course, only Jermichael Finley's fate is set, but Gates and Clark are both battling major injuries and Celek could go back to the doghouse if Andy Reid sides with Michael Vick at QB. Clark's fate looks especially grim with rumors swirling that the Colts are hiding a season-ending injury from the rest of the league.

The Red Cross of Premier Tight End Owners
That's 4 of my top 7 TEs for the year, all dealing with some kind of issue. Vernon Davis and Dustin Keller are not meant to be the best tight ends out there. But hey, crackheads aren't supposed to be rich, and that didn't stop Lindsay Lohan. Crazier things have happened. So if you are one of these lucky owners, like myself thanks to Dallas, lets take a look at the TE options remaining:

Trade Targets:
These are the guys you can probably get from someone harboring multiple TEs in case of emergency. Just throw 'em a cheap RB or WR and you have your TE stopgap.
  • Aaron Hernandez- Someone probably stashed him, so why not take advantage of the Moss trade and get a guy who Brady will look to often?
  • Heath Miller- The return of Big Ben could spell great things for the Steelers' TE.
  • Marcedes Lewis- Might be a starter on a lot of teams, but he wasn't very hyped this preseason. Could very well be riding someone's pine behind Tony Gonzalez.
  • Greg Olsen- Two weeks with zero catches might scare you away, but I think he is a buy low who just had one bad week and one shaking his head at Todd Collins.
Waiver Fodder:
For the owner with limited resources, simply looking for a quick fix off the wire.
  • Brandon Pettigrew- A physical specimen. Starting to get a lot of targets in the Lions' O, which is normally behind.
  • Jermaine Gresham- A beast just like Pettigrew, just with less downfield targets. A great PPR player if you are in need.
  • Tony Moeaki- A great fit in KC. Last week, he should have scored. Damn you Vrabel!
  • Bo Scaife- He sure looked like he connected with Kerry Collins. If Vince Young ever gets hurt, he could be a great pickup.