Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings for the 2010 NFL Season

After previously ranking the top fantasy quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers, my 24-deep tight end rankings for 2010 will now be revealed.

Tier 1
1. Vernon Davis, San Francisco: After leading fantasy tight ends with a monster 13-touchdown '09 campaign, fantasy owners are left wondering what Davis has in store for an encore in 2010. Davis remarkably found the end zone in 10 out of 16 games in 2009.

2. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis: Last season, Clark posted ridiculous career highs in receptions (100) and yardage (1,106), while posting double-digit touchdowns to boot. Clark impressively recorded seven touchdowns during his final seven games.

3. Antonio Gates, San Diego: Gates remains the most consistent fantasy tight end in recent years, totaling 8+ touchdowns for the sixth consecutive season. Expect Rivers to target the 6-time Pro Bowler plenty this season, in light of Vincent Jackson's suspension/holdout.

Tier 2
4. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta: Gonzalez emerged as the most targeted tight end in the NFL last season. A healthy Michael Turner and another year to gel with Matt Ryan should keep the future Hall of Famer in the top five fantasy tight ends.

5. Jason Witten, Dallas: Witten remains a consistent yardage monster, but has totaled more than four touchdowns merely one time during the past four seasons.

6. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay: In spite of only starting 10 games, Finley contributed five or more catches in six different. Finley's '09 fantasy totals projected over the entire season would have placed Finley No. 5 last season.

7. Brent Celek, Philadelphia: Fresh off a No. 4 tight end scoring performance in '09, Celek should repeat as a solid fantasy starter in 2010. The Eagles' offensive identity will remain in tact with Kolb, while Celek remains the most reliable possession receiver on Philly's roster.

8. Owen Daniels, Houston: Daniels' season-ending ACL injury halted a career year for the Pro Bowl tight end. Interestingly, doubling Daniels' half-season totals would have tied him with Gates for the No. 3 ranking, amongst '09 fantasy tight ends.

9. Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota: The most underrated tight end in the NFL served as one of only three tight ends to amass double-digit touchdowns in 2009. Owners should still consider Shiancoe a top 10 tight end, regardless of the quarterback under center this season.

Tier 3
10. Chris Cooley, Washington: A former top-five fantasy tight end, Cooley remains a solid late-pick starter with considerable upside. However, teammate Fred Davis' impressive performance in 2009 could hamper Cooley's sustained fantasy value in the future.

11. Kellen Winslow Jr., Tampa Bay: Winslow continues to quietly perform near lofty first-round expectations, even on lousy offenses, posting 75+ catches and 875+ yards for the third time in four seasons.

12. John Carlson, Seattle: Hasselbeck and Carlson have developed a solid chemistry, with Carlson reaching the end zone the final four games of 2009.

13. Zach Miller, Oakland: Jason Campbell connected well with Cooley and Davis in Washington, prompting fantasy owners to believe Miller could be a breakout candidate in 2010.

14. Greg Olsen, Chicago: Mike Martz kills fantasy tight ends, but eventually Olsen has to live up to his annual sleeper role. Right????

Tier 4
15. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh: A solid, consistent fantasy back-up tight end.

16. Kevin Boss, New York: Targeted fairly lightly in 2009, only 69 passes thrown Boss's way.

17. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati: First-round rookie with lofty expectations, could become a super-sleeper top 10 fantasy tight end if Gresham gels in Cincy's playaction passing game.

18. Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans: The four-time Pro Bowler has found the end zone merely six times in three seasons, but you never know with with New Orleans' explosive offense.

19. Todd Heap, Baltimore: Heap produced his best totals in three seasons, meaning there is still something left in the former Pro Bowler's tank.

20. Anthony Fasano, Miami: A seven-touchdown '08 campaign offers fantasy owners decent upside off the bench.

21. Dustin Keller, New York: Keller's role should expand in year three with the Jets, expect slight improvements across the board.

22. Fred Davis, Washington: As evident last season, Davis is too good to keep off the field in 2010. Davis recorded 41 receptions and 6 touchdowns during the last 9 games in '09.

23. Tony Scheffler, Detroit: Scheffler should benefit from a wide-open offense in Detroit, but will likely split time with talented teammate Brandon Pettigrew.

24. Bo Scaife, Tennessee: Scaife was targeted more than other remaining tight end in 2009.

References: '09 player scoring totals as referenced on ESPN.com's Fantasy Football page.
All player information and statistics as referenced on Pro-Football-Reference.com.