Jason Wood's Thoughts

In three of the last four seasons, Todd Heap has been a top 3 fantasy tight end. Only 2004 saw him fall short, and that was because he missed 10 games. For all the talk of Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Alge Crumpler and Jeremy Shockey, it’s Todd Heap that may be the league’s top overall tight end. Sure, Gates is the reigning offensive juggernaut, but he’s a fraction of the blocker Heap has become.

Regardless of whether you think Todd Heap deserves recognition alongside Gates and Gonzalez, think about what I just said in the context of the team he plays for.

• 2002 – Top-ranked fantasy TE with Jeff Blake and Chris Redman at QB
• 2003 – 3rd ranked fantasy TE with Kyle Boller, Chris Redman and Anthony Wright at QB
• 2005 – 3rd ranked fantasy TE with Kyle Boller, Kordell Stewart and Anthony Wright at QB

How ANYONE can deliver consistently elite fantasy production with that gaggle of QB misfits is astounding. And now, FINALLY, Heap gets the catch passes from a Pro Bowler.

Steve McNair, the face of the Tennessee Titans and 2003 NFL Co-MVP, has joined the Ravens and will look to elevate an offense that has struggled to hold up its end of the bargain for years. Not only is McNair a career 60% passer with a +54 TD/INT ratio, he’s also a huge fan of throwing to his tight ends.

The bottom line is simple, if McNair and Heap are healthy, you can count on Heap’s targets increasing, which means he should go from a top 3 tight end to battling for the number one or two spot.

Positives

• Heap has finished 1st, 3rd, and 3rd in his last three healthy seasons, despite having a downright depressing QB corps at his disposal
• Steve McNair joins the Ravens and has long been a tight end's best friend
• The Ravens have a solid core of blocking tight ends, which should allow Heap to remain a pass catcher first and foremost

Negatives

• Heap has a propensity to play with nagging injuries, which can exacerbate them
• The Ravens offense remains woeful, it may take more than McNair's abilities to turn things around in one season
• The additions of Derrick Mason (who was McNair's favorite target in Tennessee) and improvement of Mark Clayton could mean fewer targets for the tight end and more downfield throws

Final Thoughts

Don't overthink this...Todd Heap is easily the best fantasy option at tight end not named Antonio Gates or Jeremy Shockey. If McNair is half as successful as I believe he'll be, Heap will offer the best combination of draft value (Heap is going on the 6th round of 10-team leagues on average) and elite productivity.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

To view the entire Player Spotlight thread (there's a ton of fantastic commentary in there), click here.

radballs:
I don't see why the addition of McNair would necessarily help Heap's numbers. I think inexperienced or rookie QBs are more likely to lock in on their tight end. McNair's addition helps Mason and Clayton primarily. Just because Tennessee TEs had a lot of targets does not mean that it will translate to a different team's offensive scheme.

wannabee:
I know this sounds inconceivable, but the Tenn TEs had over 200 targets last year, and over 100 targets the two years prior. BTW, the 210 targets for the Tenn TEs last year was 50% more targets than Gates had (140). Heap had 113 targets last year. If that number moves up to the 140 range, that is huge for Heap.

JimmyD:
Of all the TEs that could bump [Antonio] Gates from the #1 spot at the end of the year, its Heap.
1. Solid Defense
2. Solid Run game
3. Big part of passing game, nothing special at WR position which could have QB lean on Heap even more than last year.
4. Fassel understands the importance a top notch TE can have on the offense.

Todd Heap Projections

SOURCE	REC	RECYD	RECTD
Jason Wood	72	825	7
Message Board Consensus	75	866	8