Fantasy Football 2009: Tight Ends Rankings - the Top 12

Tight ends should never be taken in the first couple of rounds of your fantasy football draft, but don't wait TOO long! A poor tight end will create a "wasted" roster spot nearly every single week and consistently leave you at a slight disadvantage. Go with the following list of tight end rankings and you should be a fantasy king for the 2009 season!

1. Jason Witten

Dallas Cowboys

Witten starts off this year in much better shape than last year. Last season, he had to put up with immature antics from his now former teammate, Terrell Owens . . . he had to catch balls from a guy that was obviously distracted by dating Jessica Simpson and the media that came with it . . . he had to briefly catch balls from Brad Johnson (who should've been retired by then) . . . and he was severely effected by a broken rib, which made him less than 100% for virtually half of the season. Despite all of that mess surrounding him, he was still able to gather 81 catches and nearly 1,000 yards. Now . . . just imagine how his numbers will be THIS season, as all of that aforementioned drama and pain is over with! Draft #82 and you may end up #1.

2. Tony Gonzalez

Atlanta Falcons

He has everything you could want in a tight end. In addition to being one of the most athletic and reliable tight ends in the league, he now plays inside a weather-controlled environment with Matt Ryan, who has already proven himself as a very reliable quarterback. Moreover, he is on the same field as Roddy White, arguably one of the toughest receivers to cover, so Tony should not have to worry too much about a lot of double coverages. Tony is money in the bank. If you end up with Tony or Jason on your squad, you should be very very happy.

3. Dallas Clark

Indianapolis Colts

With Marvin Harrison now completely out of the picture, and Anthony Gonzalez still not fully proven, Dallas is the Peyton Manning's clear-cut #2 guy, behind Reggie Wayne. During the last three regular season games of the 2008 season, Clark compiled a phat 26 catches for 306 yards and 2 touchdowns. As long as Peyton is behind center, you can expect this trend to continue.

4. Antonio Gates

San Diego Chargers

Antonio's health (foot/toe) has been in question for what seems to be forever, but despite all the questions, he was still able to play in 15 of 16 regular season games last year. With Phillip Rivers emerging as an absolute stud, Gates will always have ample opportunities to produce, but with that being said, he is still not reliable as the guys above him. Gates recorded a respectable 8 touchdown catches last season, but he also had 6 games in which he had 35 yards or less-he had his lowest catch and yard total since the 2003 season.

5. Chris Cooley

Washington Redskins

Cooley recorded career highs in catches (83) and yards (849) last season, yet he had many fantasy owners frustrated. Despite those aforementioned career highs, Cooley recorded a career LOW in touchdowns, as he only caught one touchdown for the entire season. His lowest touchdown total prior to last year was six . . . that's quite a drop-off, but should not be expected to repeat itself. Expect Cooley to hit pay dirt AT LEAST five or six times this season, in addition to accumulating a very respectable amount of yardage.

6. Zach Miller

Oakland Raiders

Young and unproven quarterbacks tend to stick with what makes them comfortable, and it became very obvious that Jamarcus Russell was VERY comfortable with Zach Miller last season. Russell appeared to look for Miller no matter what the situation. He only ended up with one score last season, but he yielded an average of 13.9 yards per catch, which is very high for a tight end. Don't be surprised to see Miller end up with a total stat line similar to 900 yards and 6 touchdowns this year.

7. Greg Olsen

Chicago Bears

First off, don't be fooled by the depth chart. You will find many depth charts for the 2009 season that list Desmond Clark as the Bears' #1 tight end. When it comes time to pass the pigskin, you better believe Olsen will get A LOT more looks than Clark. Olsen had 13 more catches than Clark last season, and scored touchdowns in 3 of the last 4 games. The separation between their numbers will only get bigger this season. And now that Jay Cutler is in town, Olsen may very well be on his way to becoming a top 4 tight end.

8. Owen Daniels

Houston Texans

Daniels had a bit of a roller coaster season for fantasy owners. For example . . . in week 9, he was pure gold and ended up with 11 catches for 133 yards; HOWEVER, in the next 4 games combined, he had a mere 7 catches and 80 yards. With tough running by Steve Slaton and exciting and reliable playmaking abilities from Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter, it is sometimes tough for Owen to get recognized. He will almost certainly throw you a couple 1 catch, 10 yard stinkers this season, but he will also throw you some slam dunks, so keep this guy in your top 8 among tight ends.

9. Kellen Winslow

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With injuries and non-performing quarterbacks, Winslow's season in Cleveland last year could easily be classified as "wasted." Winslow has now found a new home in Tampa, which should make catching the ball a little easier, as he no longer has to worry about catching in any cold and frigid games in Cleveland or places like Pittsburgh. If not for the shaky quarterback situation in Tampa, Kellen could easily earn a higher ranking, but for now, everybody has to wait to see how Byron Leftwich can hold up.

10. Vernon Davis

San Francisco 49ers

He had only had 31 catches last season, but it's fair to say that last year was a little messy for the 49ers. With a new quarterback, as well as a new coach (Singletary), who openly called out Davis, it was a struggle to make it to the end of the season. Davis has extraordinary talent with speed that far exceeds that of most tight ends. He has the ability to break open 50+ yard plays and don't be surprised if you see some of those this year. The 49ers won't be a Super Bowl team, but they will definitely have their act a little more well put together, especially Vernon . . . Vernon probably doesn't want to see coach's pants drop again!

11. Visanthe Shiancoe

Minnesota Vikings

Despite having 9 games in which he caught 2 or fewer passes last season, Visanthe is still a threat in the red zone area (7 touchdowns last year) and he proved he can put up the big numbers if given the chance (7 rec., 136yds, 2TDs vs Atlanta). And of course, there is the Brett Favre factor . . . Favre's pass-happy attitude could create a couple more looks for Visanthe, but don't expect Brett to make this guy a 1,000 yard receiver anytime soon.

12. Kevin Boss

New York Giants

Boss may get lots of looks by the simple process of default! Plaxico Burress is gone and so is Derrick Ward. Ouch, there goes two of Eli's favorite targets! And with Domenik Hixon having occasional butter fingers, Boss and Steve Smith may be the only pass receivers Eli can trust. Expect a career year from Boss.