A Look At Value Tight Ends

Posted 7/9 by Jeff Tefertiller, Exclusive for Footballguys.com

Just like any other shopping mall, this one will have different products at different levels of quality and price. In this series, we will shop around at different stores like Bloomingdales, Macy's, Sears, even the Dollar Store and look for products to buy. The focus will be on value. Many times the expensive products are worth the price. Some times they are not. We will examine opportunities to buy at a reasonable price compared to value. The products we are purchasing are fantasy players for our dynasty team. This study will examine purchasing value tight ends for your fantasy team. There are only a handful of studs at the tight end position. After the first four or five, it is a total crapshoot as to who will excel and finish in the Top 10 at the position. Fantasy owners that roster a lower end TE1 would do well to acquire a tight end with upside to augment the position. Below are some tight ends that have been virtually neglected in dynasty leagues and might be had at a reasonable price.

Brent Celek

It seems like just yesterday that L.J. Smith was widely regarded as a Top 10 tight end. In fact, he finished the 2005 and 2006 seasons as the ninth ranked player at his position. All it took was a couple of injury-filled seasons for fantasy owners to forget about the once-steady Eagle tight end position. Philadelphia let L.J. Smith walk in the offseason, opening the door for the young Celek. Brent Celek had some big games for the Eagles last season, including the 10-catch performance against the Cardinals in the playoffs. He is still a young player that has the opportunity to prove that he deserves the starting job. The team drafted Cornelius Ingram from the University of Florida in April's NFL Draft. Ingram is an athletically gifted tight end that struggles to remain healthy. But, it is Celek's job to lose. He earned the respect of Donovan McNabb last season, catching four touchdowns in the final four games for the Eagles, with three coming in the playoffs.

Outlook: Celek is a good blocker, but also offers good hands. The Eagles offense has speed to burn with wideouts Kevin Curtis, DeSean Jackson, and the rookie from Missouri, Maclin . All three are very quick and fast. This should open up the middle of the field for underneath routes from the tight end position. Also, the Eagle receivers are void of the big, physical endzone threat, and will rely on the tight end when at the goal line. This fits Brent Celek's skills perfectly.
Store: Clearance rack at Dillard's
Price: A 2009 third-round pick or a prospect.
Recommendation: Buy. Celek will see plenty of pass targets and could produce TE1 numbers at a TE2/3 price. He has that type of upside. In addition, Celek has a chance to prove he should be the long-term starter at the position.

Anthony Fasano

Bill Parcells drafted Fasano when he was with the Dallas Cowboys. After going to South Beach, "the Tuna" made sure to trade for the former Notre Dame star to bolster the position. The Dolphins were without a good option at tight end. While in Dallas, Fasano saw limited opportunity playing behind Jason Witten. But, now that he is in Miami, Anthony Fasano is starting. His main competition at the position is David Martin, who has not shown the ability to step up and be the starter. The Dolphins have few weapons for Chad Pennington. The receivers are one of the worst groups in the league. There is little chance that Ted Ginn, Davone Bess, or Greg Camarillo can be an imposing threat to defenses. This is a team that will go through some growing pains in the passing game this season. The offense will try to run the ball as much as possible to control the clock. The problem is the talent level at the skill positions. In addition, it should be expected that a young tight end like Fasano will take a big step in his development with another year in Miami.

Outlook: The Miami Dolphins are a young, building team. They are revamping every position and Fasano looks to be locked in as starter for a long time. He is a Parcells favorite, which never hurts. Fasano will get decent redzone targets due to the lack of adequate receivers on the team. Even though he will be a good spot starter, fantasy owners would be wise to limit the optimism for the former Golden Domer. He will not get enough pass targets to be a Top 10 tight end. The offense does not pass enough to the position to produce an elite tight end. Fasano had a few HUGE games his first year in Miami and could have even more in year two. He has earned Chad Pennington's trust with some clutch receptions in 2008. Anthony Fasano is also a capable blocker, which keeps him on the field for all downs.
Store: J.C. Penney
Price: 2009 third-round pick.
Recommendation: Buy if you need a backup tight end. He makes a cheap, competent TE2 for fantasy teams.

John Carlson

At Notre Dame, John Carlson picked up where Fasano left off. Carlson is a big tight end who is surprisingly athletic. He was drafted into an ideal situation in Seattle. The Seahawks had just released veteran Marcus Pollard, who was a flop from the 2007 free agency. The West Coast Offense employed by Seattle utilizes the tight end position efficiently. The offense will change some with the retirement of coach Mike Holmgren. The team hopes to finally have quarterback Matt Hasselbeck back healthy this season. Seattle also added veteran receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh to a receiver corps that was depleted by injury in 2008.

Outlook: The team has no other decent tight end options on the roster. The Seahawks could look much differently this year with Holmgren retiring. If the Seahawks are not a contender this season, they could be a team that has to quickly go into rebuilding mode. Seattle has little youth on the offense. The running game is expected to be less than stellar with Julius Jones leading the way. The team does not have the talent than many remember from the past. John Carlson was drafted to be a long-term piece of the puzzle. He is now entrenched as the starter for many years to come. Expect John Carlson to be a focal point of the offense.
Store: The Gap
Price: A 2009 second-round pick and a good prospect.
Recommendation: Buy. Timing is everything. The time to buy may not have come. Carlson proved last year that he has the talent to produce even in unfavorable circumstances. He had Seneca Wallace throwing passes behind a makeshift offensive line and few healthy receivers. If he can produce under that situation, the sky is the limit when he is surrounded by talent.

Zach Miller

Zach Miller, like many rookies, started slow in 2007. The problems at the quarterback position did not help matters, and that problem remained in 2008. JaMarcus Russell has not played well since joining the Raiders, and the quarterback play has hindered the production of the young tight end. The Raiders are VERY weak at the wide receiver position. The sad part is that the team has poor play at quarterback in addition to little talent at receiver - what a bad combination. This has led a struggling Russell to depend on Miller to be a security blanket. Considering the state of the Raider receivers, there should be ample balls for Zach Miller in the coming seasons. He will get his targets.

Outlook: Miller had a productive college career in the desert. He was overshadowed as a rookie by the buzz around Greg Olsen. Miller quietly increased his receptions and yards per reception in 2008. The one category that decreased was touchdowns. The poor Oakland offense did not score much. The Raiders will attempt to rely heavily on the run with the inadequate receiver situation.
Store: Macy's
Price: 2009 second-round pick and a good prospect
Recommendation: Buy. Miller is a very good long-term prospect. Like other young tight ends he will make a big improvement in his third season. Fantasy owners should expect Miller to be a perennial Top 10 tight end.

Shawn Nelson

Shawn Nelson was drafted into a good situation. The Bills only have second-year player Derek Fine at the position after letting Robert Royal depart. Fine showed some promise as a rookie, but is not the receiving threat that Nelson provides. The addition of Terrell Owens should open things up for the athletically-gifted tight end. The rookie has tremendous speed and moves in the open field. He is a yards-after-catch threat. Nelson is a willing blocker but is undersized. He is best suited as receiving tight end in the same role as Greg Olsen and Dustin Keller. He will be a weapon for the Bills offense.

Outlook: Nelson benefited from good coaching in college. His position coach was former NFL tight end, Kris Mangum. Because of this, he enters the NFL knowing what to expect as a professional tight end. It is expected that the Bills will start Fine early on as Nelson gets up to speed. The transition from college to the NFL is most difficult on tight ends. Few make a large impact their rookie seasons. The valued coaching in college should ease the transition, but it will not be easy. Expect some big plays this season, with inconsistent targets.
Store: Old Navy
Price: 2009 third-round pick and a prospect.
Recommendation: Buy. Nelson has a chance to be a Top 6 fantasy tight end in the future. He has all of the tools to be a factor in the passing game. He and Pettigrew are the rookie tight ends drafted into the best situations. At this price, Nelson is worth acquiring.

Several players in the Top 10 at the position change each and every year. A couple of the above tight ends have a decent chance to reside in the Top 10 for many more years. At the tight end position, there must be a blend of talent and opportunity. Many good-producing tight ends are on teams with weak wide receiving corps and have demonstrated the ability to get open and catch the ball. This time next year, we will be wondering why several veteran tight ends disappointed. When this happens, it is usually driven by injury or situation. The above tights are young, but there are a few older veterans that are cheap that can produce decent numbers. Bo Scaife, Randy McMichael, and Donald Lee can be had for a song right now. They offer short term production at a reasonable price.