Top 25 Fantasy TEs

Ever since Ken McAfee of Notre Dame broke new ground for tight ends in the mid-70s by making it into the Heisman race, the position has been a coveted position for teams with pro-set offenses and teams looking for more options in the red zone. BYU revolutionized the position shortly thereafter thanks to big-time yardage gainers Clay Brown, Gordon Hudson and Chris Smith. Other teams have produced outstanding TEs, Carlester Crumpler Jr. of East Carolina, Pete Mitchell of Boston College (almost 2,400 yards), and others who won the newly created Mackey Award, given to the nation's best tight end. This year should be an outstanding season for tight ends and if you can get an elite one early, you will definitely have an advantage over the other players/teams in your league. Let's get to it.

1. Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma- With only one experienced WR returning alongside him and a fantastic QB to get him the ball, Gresham should have plenty of yards and TDs. The offense won't be as high-powered this year, but he'll still do great.
2. Dennis Pitta, BYU- Unlike Gresham, Pitt has ZERO great WRs to take away his receiving opportunities. He'll get plenty of his numbers while in the red zone. He should get a 1,000 yards again easy, probably 10+ TDs.
3. Cody Slate, Marshall- Slate missed a few games last year, so his receiving totals could have been much better. He should be healthy this year and have big numbers due to the offensive system he's in.
4. Rob Gronkowski, Arizona- There are a lot of good WRs around and two talented RBs to take away his productivity, but with a new QB comes a reliance on safety valves, and Gronkowski is one of the best. When the wideouts are covered, he'll be a nice big target across the middle for new starting QB Matt Scott.
5. DJ Williams, Arkansas- With QB Ryan Mallett on board, the Razorbacks offense should be in high gear this season and that means good things for this talented TE.
6. Ed Dickson, Oregon- Considering the QB'ing carousel the Ducks went on last season, it's amazing he had as good a numbers as he did. They can only go up with the loss of 2 good WRs and the fact he'll have more time to gel with Masoli.
7. Aaron Hernandez, Florida- He became an effective weapon for Tebow in the bowl game last season and has become one of his favorite targets recently, especially with the development of that famed "jump pass" Tebow loves to throw near the goalline.
8. Jamie McCoy, Texas A&M- He was a fantastic find for QB Jerrod Johnson last season and became a man of great importance in certain fantasy leagues (especially considering he helped to keep me undefeated). He should be even better this season as a full-time starter.
9. Garrett Graham, Wisconsin- I don't trust Graham this much as he has plenty of risk/reward possibilities. The QB position is not very stable even though he could produce big numbers. Pick him and beware.
10. Richard Dickson, LSU- If Jordan Jefferson takes over as the full-time starter, then I think Dickson could be an invaluable weapon near the goalline.
11. Greg Boone, VA Tech- He can be a decent runner when the Hokies choose to use him and is also a huge target in every respect. He has the potential for a massive season, it all depends on the erratic Tyrod Taylor.
12. Mike McNeill, Nebraska- Without a reliable starting QB, who knows if McNeill will be as productive this season. However, he is the best returning weapon among the wideouts, so keep an eye on his numbers throughout the year.
13. Tony Moeaki, Iowa- I think without Shonn Greene at TB, the Hawkeyes passing numbers will go up a bit this season and Moeaki will be a huge benificiary.
14. Charlie Gantt, Michigan St.- If Keith Nichol takes over as the starter, then the passing numbers might go down because he's a great runner. Thanks to a bunch of talented returning WRs, his numbers may be a bit suspect.
15. Jason Harmon, Florida Atlantic- Rusty Smith is a QB, so I think Harmon's numbers will be outstanding. He had a good 2007 and was out last season, but he should return in good shape and ready to put up outstanding stats.
16. Andrew Quarless, Penn St.- All of QB Daryll Clark's talented WRs are gone, so we shall see how much Quarless can benefit, especially in the red zone. I don't think the offense will do quite as well this season, so he's a risky pick.
17. Anthony McCoy, USC- If you've noticed, head coaches who have NFL coaching experience place an emphasis on finding good TEs and Pete Carroll is a natural at doing that. McCoy should have good numbers, but not great.
18. Jeron Mastrud, Kansas St.- There's no really great QB left, but the offense is high-octane and loves to pitch the ball around, so Mastrud should get his no matter what happens. Also, with a JUCO transfer at QB, the transfer shouldn't take as long as it normally would.
19. Ryan Moya, UCLA- The Bruins were awful passing the ball last season, throwing a ton of picks, but Moya still had outstanding numbers. Assuming someone even halfway decent steps forward he'll put up even better numbers in terms of yards and TDs (600+ and 7+ I'd guess).
20. Ben Guidugli, Cincinnati- The Bearcats love to pass so watch out for this multi-talented converted QB. If stud WR Marcus Barnett does get moved over to CB, as is expected, then Ben should have vastly improved numbers.
21. Blaine Irby, Texas- If Colt McCoy can even produce 2/3 of the numbers he had last season, then Irby should have a very good season. He got hurt last year early in the season, which took away one of McCoy's favorite targets, but be rest assured McCoy will remember who he is in the fall.
22. Terrance Williams, San Jose St.- Here is a good TE surrounded by a QB who struggles a lot and a running game that can never get on track. I would hope he has improved numbers this season, but I wouldn't bet the house on it.
23. Kyle Efaw, Boise St.- Here is a player who can only benefit from QB Moore's maturity as a sophomore. Boise generally loves to use their TEs, so this is always a good bet.
24. Josh LeDuc, Eastern Michigan- Andy Schmitt is a QB who loves to sling the ball around and if he can't find Jacory Stone, he'll go to his safety valve, Mr. LeDuc, one of the best pass-catching TEs around. He could have outstanding numbers, a real sleeper pick.
25. Kyle Rudolph. Notre Dame- This would be a good pick only because I think Notre Dame will really sling the ball around all over the field with Clausen calling the signals and taking the naps. However, I fear stud WRs Floyd and Tate may take away the majority of TDs, so that's not good for fantasy owners.