2008 Buy Low/Sell High - Tight Ends By Brandon Anderson
7/29/08
Email Brandon Ah, the pesky tight end. You have to start one of them, but you’d rather
just as well go without, right? Sure everyone would love to have had someone
like Gates the last few years, but how many people were willing to invest
that high pick and give up the value of another player at QB, RB, or WR that
is a much sexier pick? As always, fantasy football is about value. Some
players will see their value increase and others will see theirs plummet.
Same rules here as with the previous articles in the Buy Low / Sell High
series. Let’s get to it. Sell High!!!
Antonio Gates, San Diego
ADP 5.04
It hurts me to list Mr. Gates here as one of my favorite players in fantasy
football and real life. But things just don’t look good with that nagging
foot injury that simply won’t go away. There’s a chance that Gates could
even start the season on the PUP list, which would leave him missing the
first 6 games of the season. Even if he doesn’t, an injured Gates simply
isn’t what Antonio Gates once was. Although he finished with 9 TDs and
almost 1000 yards last season, he had a paltry 15 receptions, 150 yards, and
not a single TD in the last five games of the season. Maybe that was the
foot injury, maybe it was Chambers’ presence, or maybe it was a combo of
both. Either way, you’ll do best to pass on Gates this season. Buy Low!!!
Kellen Winslow, Cleveland
ADP 5.06
Winslow is the #1 tight end on my board and frankly, it’s not even close. He
looks fully healthy and ready to go, and this is actually the first
offseason he’s had in his pro career where he didn’t have to simply
recuperate all summer. Last year Winslow had an awesome 1100+ receiving
yards with a second straight season of over 80 receptions. He is just a few
TDs away from being the slam dunk #1 tight end. Well, enter Braylon Edwards
and his 16 TDs. Do you think it’s too much to ask to move a few of those
over to Winslow’s corner? Even three of them would’ve put Winslow at the
pole spot. This is the season he explodes. The draft will be your last
chance to nab him. Sell High!!!
Dallas Clark, Indianapolis
ADP 6.06
Clark had an unbelievable year last season with 11 touchdown catches for the
Colts and unexpectedly vaulted into the top five tight ends. Don’t expect an
encore performance. It was a perfect storm for Clark last season with
injuries sprinkling the Colts offensive roster. Marvin Harrison basically
missed the whole season for all intents and purposes. Joseph Addai was
banged up for several games. The Colts also lost several role players like
their third and fourth WRs and a backup RB, and all of that added to a lot
of extra chances for Clark. Even so, he had just over 600 yards so he needed
every one of those redzone TDs to squeak into the top five. Like Brandon
Stokley a few years back, this Colts receiver’s value will never be higher.
You never want to buy a stock at its peak value. Sell High!!!
Vernon Davis, San Francisco
ADP: 7.10
When is Vernon Davis’s value always the highest? In the preseason, when
hopes and dreams abound. Let someone else buy into the dream, and get value
for this guy while you can. He still has no legitimate quarterback on the
roster and even new coordinator Mike Martz isn’t going to change that.
Vernon Davis may finally break out one of these years, but there are enough
other TE options that he isn’t worth the high pick here. Buy Low!!!
Todd Heap, Baltimore
ADP 8.02
Heap was injured last year, but when he’s healthy, he’s a bona fide fantasy
stud. If you want to know more about Heap’s sleeper value, take a look at
the TE sleepers article. But a healthy Todd Heap that plays all 16 games has
finished among the top 4 TEs in all four tries, including once at #1
overall. He’s healthy now, and he’ll be back in that top 4 again or higher.
He has no business being the 8th TE off the board on draft day. Buy Low!!!
Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans
ADP 9.01
Even if you’re not convinced at all that Shockey is a superstar TE, there’s
no doubt that his value is on the rise. You may have already missed your
chance to buy low on this one but if you see Shockey slipping, you’d better
grab him while you still can this low. Comment on this
article
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