Fantasy Football 2011: Top 25 NFL Tight Ends Printable Cheat Sheet

Tight End Important Position in Fantasy Football

Todd Jacobs, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Feb 15, 2011 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

The top 25 fantasy football tight ends for the 2011 fantasy football draft are stacked at the top list. The drop off from the top six tight ends in fantasy football to the rest of the field is a big difference. Players like Zach Miller and Owen Daniels can make an improvement over their performances from last season if they are healthy.

No.1. Dallas Clark: Indianapolis Colts

A healthy Dallas Clark will be rejuvenated in 2011 and Peyton Manning will be happy to feed his reliable tight end with plenty of passes in key situations. Clark is especially valuable in PPR (points per reception) fantasy football leagues.

No.2. Antonio Gates: San Diego Chargers

Antonio Gates showed his fantasy football owners in 2010 that he is human. Injuries to a big man of Gates stature can compound over time and the fear now is that Gates could be beginning a trend of nagging injuries that will curtail his effectiveness. Only Clark is rated above him after considering this issue which shows how important Gates is in the fantasy football world.

No.3. Vernon Davis San Francisco 49ers

Vernon Davis is moving up among the elite fantasy football tight ends. He is very similar to Antonio Gates and if he ever has a top ten quarterback throwing him the ball, Davis will make strides to reach the top of fantasy football tight end ladder.

No.4. Jason Witten Dallas Cowboys

Jason Witten may do better in 2011 when Tony Romo returns but it is a gamble. Witten took some major punishment running across the middle last year and age catches up quickly with tight ends. Be careful when making a decision to pick up Witten early in a fantasy football draft.

No.5. Jermichael Finley Green Bay Packers

Jermichael Finley is a huge part of the Green Bay Packers offense. When he went down early in the season many wrote off the Green Bay Packers. The Packers won the Super Bowl without Finley but next year with Finley in the lineup the Green Bay Packers offense will be hard to handle.

No.6. Owen Daniels Houston Texans

Injuries slowed Owen Daniels last season and with a summer of rest he will make strides to move towards the top five fantasy football tight ends by mid season in 2011. Daniels is a good pick up after the eighth or ninth round.

No.7. Tony Gonzalez Atlanta Falcons

Age is creeping up on the tight end that changed the game. Now many teams are seeing the value of a big tight end with great hands. Tony Gonzalez is a gamble anywhere before the 10th round of most fantasy football drafts.

No.8. Zach Miller Oakland Raiders

Zach Miller was on his way to being a top five fantasy football tight end until he was slowed by injuries. Miller is a solid possession type receiver for the Oakland Raiders that runs well after the catch. Miller is a good gamble if there is a run on tight ends he will be a good counter move.

No.9. Dustin Keller New York Jets

Dustin Keller should bounce back in 2011. He finished the season well as he worked his way into the offense. Keller is a big target over the middle and a perfect safety valve for Sanchez when he is struggling.

No.10. Brent Celek Philadelphia Eagles

Brent Celek was tough to figure out for fantasy football owners in 2010 and now with Michael Vick returning to the Philadelphia Eagles it will be interesting to see if they adjust to each other.

No.11. Kellen Winslow Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Kellen Winslow was another tight end that frustrating for his fantasy football owners in 2010. Winslow is talented and a big target over the middle. His numbers should be much better than they were in 2010.

No.12. Marcedes Lewis: Jacksonville Jaguars

Marcedes Lewis was a diamond in the rough for many fantasy football owners and now most everyone knows who he is now. Lewis will drop a few spots next year as more teams will throw a linebacker at him to chip him earlier in his routes.

No.13. Chris Cooley Washington Redskins

Chris Cooley needs a stable offense and he will improve on his numbers. Until this happens ranking him 13th may be a little generous but he is smart tight end that knows how to come back to the ball.

No.14. Greg Olsen Chicago Bears

A great fantasy football tight end is reliable. Greg Olsen is one of the more reliable tight ends and will be a great second tight end for a fantasy football owner looking to cover a low ranking first tight end.

No.15. Jermaine Gresham Cincinnati Bengals

Jermaine Gresham will be a great tight end for fantasy football owners next season. He has one year under his belt and will be a solid point scorer with more touchdowns in 2011. Why wait until the 15th tight end to take him? One reason, because you can.

No.16. Heath Miller Pittsburgh Steelers

Heath Miller is another reliable tight end that will score average to below average throughout the season for fantasy football owners.

No.17. Brandon Pettigrew: Detroit Lions

Brandon Pettigrew is a tight end that can improve in 2011 if his quarterback stays healthy and he can have a full off season of practice.

No.18. Visanthe Shiancoe Minnesota Vikings

Visanthe Schiancoe has fallen in the tight end rankings this year based on an unstable quarterback situation and waning numbers late in the season. Watch Schiancoe as the season gets closer he can move up the ladder quickly.

No.19. Kevin Boss New York Giants

Kevin Boss is a reliable tight end for Eli Manning and the New York Giants but for his fantasy football owners he was tough to manage.

No.20. Tony Scheffler Detroit Lions

Tony Scheffler is on his way out for the Detroit Lions. Watch for him to possibly drop of the fantasy football tight end list before the season begins.

No.21. Ben Watson Cleveland Browns

Ben Watson is reliable but not from a fantasy football stand point.

No.22. Rob Gronkowski New England Patriots

Rob Gronkowski can go off for big games but it is tough to manage him on a fantasy football roster. Follow the Bill Belichik rule and lay off any New England Patriots.

No.23. Dante Rosario Carolina Panthers

Dante Rosario can be a decent fantasy football tight end if they begin producing offensively. Keep an eye on him before the start of the NFL season.

No.24. Todd Heap Baltimore Ravens

Todd Heap can only take so much punishment. Heap gets clobbered several times per game and he is always good for down time. Stay away from him.

No.25. Aaron Hernandez: New England Patriots

See the comments on Rob Gronkowski. Follow the Bill Belichik rule.