The importance of a top end TE in fantasy

[Setharion]

Anyone else feel this way about TEs?

I know alot of the mindsets will tend to just grab a lower ranked TE down the pike. The beauty of having a Gates or Gonzalez is that its like having an extra WR. My experiences in the past is if you sort of go for a high ranked TE lets say in the 4th round...there are always breakout stars to grab down the road in the season, but few and far between do you have your emergences like Gates or a Witten.

I dont know but for me its always been a fairly successful route. Ive beaten alot of opponants in the past before by having that ace in the hole with Gates. Gates especially, although his feet may start to really bog him down.

Just for me i love sneaking that early TE pick in there, i love to open the doors with TEs because i feel its harder to find that TE to explode for you during the season.

Now I would never grab a TE in 1st - 3rd rounds, and the 4th round isnt guaranteed either. But generally when i land a big name TE i think it adds some very nice depth since there are so few high scoring TEs in the league.

Any of you guys roll with this mindset?

[Mudhippie]

I agree with you 110%. Sometimes they have stinker weeks but more often than not, getting 20 points from a tight end is just so commonplace anymore. I had Gates last year and he was my bread n' butter until he got hurt. Finding a quality TE midseason is tough cookies and the points they get seem to make a big difference in the overall output of your team come Tuesday morning. Especially when they are the target of two TDs and 50 yards of offense.

[Setharion]

Last year I got into the finals of my main money league, and the first half of the year i was just rolling HARD with Gates and Floyd. Seriously I really was on par with those two guys to blow some people up, but then when Gates feet were hurtin and Floyd was out it hurt me bad.

But yea, having that extra WR type TE out there is critical. I tell ya who is an iffy pick though is Gonzalez, i know hes still doing ok but I think with White being such a huge target now it may sort of take a good handful of TDs away from TG.

[dunker]

TE's are very important. The best thing about a "top-quality" TE is that they will be consistent. Elite quarterbacks usually come with a good TE target, along with a few others in the league.

Getting 10-20 points consistently out of a TE is no laughing matter.

[Setharion]

I wish Steelers would use miller more, he'd be a great fantasy pickup if they did.

[BingJohnson]

I need to ponder this question for a while. It is a good topic.

[BingJohnson]

OK. If the league requires a TE in the TE slot do you go after Gates, Witten, or Clark early.... My thoughts used to be yes. But they are shifting now. I am going to say no. The reasoning is two-fold. First off, while Gates produced to beat hell in the first part of the season last year, he really hurt a lot of people when it counted; playoffs. Witten didn't live upto his normal standards without Romo last year. Clark was hurt all season. So I guess my reasoning is that the risk of taking an elite TE early isn't worth it anymore. The other side of the equation is there are a lot of young TEs that are starting to blow up. I think the TE pool this year will be as deep as its ever been.

Gates, Witten, Clark, Finley, Kellen Winslow, Mercedes Lewis, Vernon Davis, Gronkowski/Hernandez.. I just think the pack isn't going to be separated by as much this year as it normally is with Gates, Witten and Clark miles ahead of everyone else in fantasy points.

[potterscrow]

I don't know about this one on either. I did get hurt with my TEs last year. All the big ones were gone so I waited late to pick up Cooley from the Redskins as McNabb always was big on throwing to the TE. But Cooley was hurt much of the year and his back up Davis I believe didn't pick up the slack. I wound up grabbing one of the Pats TEs but it was so week to week with them as to who was getting the catches.

[Setharion]

Oh i agree actually going into this year, i think there is more wiggle room for getting TEs. Its funny you mention that because that does change the scope of it a bit when i think about, i was going off the last few years and youre right there are some emerging names.

I still feel that Gates and Clark persay are monster grabs and if they somehow stay healthy that is a pretty nice advantage. But yea, there are some emerging TEs that are viable later round pickups that will produce. Some are hit and miss a bit, like M.Lewis, had him and thought what a steal but then the dude did nothing after his one monster game. But i believe hes going to become a solid TE.

The thing about a good TE though is its a position you dont have to worry about anymore if you got someone in there like Clark or Gates, it sort of is like a given each week they will put up a TD and some nice yardage.