Top 10 Fantasy Football Tight Ends for 2010

Most single-season fantasy football league formats require you to field at least one tight end each week. This can be a tricky task, because the dropoff in tight end productivity is pretty severe once you get outside the top 10 or 15. But you don't want to pick a tight end too high in the draft and risk missing out on higher-scoring, more-consistent players at other positions.

The top few tight ends are used by their teams as pass-catchers more than blockers, making them every bit as productive as some of the upper- and second-tier wide receivers.

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Top 10 Fantasy Football Tight Ends for 2010

1. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
If I were integrating tight ends and wide receivers, Gates would easily make the top 10 in my receivers list. An ample amount of the Chargers' pass-happy offense is focused on Gates, who caught 79 passes for 1,157 yards and eight touchdowns in 2009. Undrafted out of Kent State, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Gates has 479 receptions, 6,223 yards and 59 touchdowns in seven NFL seasons. I see no reason to anticipate a decline in 2010 for the 30-year-old Gates.

2. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts
Clark has made huge strides over the past three seasons, becoming a more-frequent target for Peyton Manning and a bigger part of the Colts' passing game. He caught 100 passes for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2009 after catching 77 passes in 2008 and 58 in 2007. Before that, his career high in four NFL seasons was 37 receptions. His '09 stats are slightly better than Gates' (except for yardage), but he takes a back seat to the San Diego star due to Gates' history of consistency.

3. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers
After two seasons of average production that belied most expectations, Davis broke out in 2009, catching 78 passes for 965 yards and 13 touchdowns, and seeming to develop and on-field chemistry with quarterback Alex Smith. Many of his 2009 TDs came on check-downs, but I expect the 49ers to use Davis as more of a primary target in 2010, particularly in the red zone, where he has proved he can do some damage.

4. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers
Finley really came on during the tail end of '09, grabbing 28 catches for 334 yards and four touchdowns in the final five games of the season. That stretch included a nine-catch, 74-yard, one-TD performance at Pittsburgh on December 20. The former Texas Longhorn has size (6-foot-5, 247 pounds) to go with nice speed and hands. I like him to pick up in 2010 where he left off in 2009.

5. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Witten hasn't dipped below 64 receptions in a season since his rookie year of 2003, and he's amassed 3,127 yards on 271 catches over the past three seasons. If there's anything to complain about, it's that Witten hasn't reached the end zone the past two seasons as much as fantasy owners would like - he scored just twice in 2009 and four times in '08. If he can tack on a few more TDs in 2010 while keeping those receptions above 80 and the yards around 1,000, he's a superb pickup at this spot.

6. Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles
Celek broke out in 2009 - his third season in the NFL - with 76 receptions for 971 yards and eight touchdowns. He and Philly's new starting QB Kevin Kolb connected well in Kolb's two 2009 starts, with Celek putting up near-identical performances in Weeks 2 and 3, grabbing eight passes for 104 yards each game, with a touchdown during the Week 3 victory over Kansas City.

7. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons
It's tough to leave Gonzalez off any list of the top fantasy tight ends, even though he turned 34 this year and has taken a beating for 13 NFL seasons. You gotta like his consistency and durability, though; Gonzalez has missed exactly two regular-season games in his NFL career, which began in 1997. Last season, his first with the Falcons, he caught 83 passes for 867 yards and six TDs.

8. Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The quarterback situation in Tampa has been shaky at best over the past couple of seasons, but Winslow still maintained his status as a solid fantasy play in 2009 with 77 catches for 884 yards and five touchdowns. The five TDs matched his season high from 2007, when he caught 82 passes for 1,106 yards. I'd love to see a few more trips to the end zone from Winslow in 2010, but if he can top 70 catches and 800 yards again, he'll be a good pick here.

9. Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings
With Brett Favre at the helm, Shiancoe caught 11 touchdown passes in 2009. I see him as a top 10 fantasy tight end in 2010 regardless of whether Favre plays, but a Favre return might bump Shiancoe up a notch or two.

10. Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders: Not to be confused with the Jacksonville Jaguars tight end of the same name, Miller has put up solid numbers the past two seasons, with 56 catches for 778 yards in 2008 and 66 for 805 in 2009. The knock here is a lack of end zone trips - one in '08, three in '09 and seven total in his three-year career. But then, he does play for the Raiders, whose passing game has been the definition of "inept" the past few seasons. Enter QB Jason Campbell, and a chance for Miller to break through to the next level.

Near-Misses
These guys just barely missed the top 10 cut:

Owen Daniels, Houston Texans: If he comes out 100 percent healed up from ACL surgery, Daniels deserves a spot in the top 10. But until I see some production, I'm gonna be conservative with this guy. Before the torn ACL, though, Daniels put up 519 yards and five touchdowns in eight games in 2009.

John Carlson, Seattle Seahawks: Carlson has 106 receptions for 901 yards and 12 touchdowns over two seasons, solid if not spectacular numbers for a guy who wasn't always Seattle's regular tight end his first two years in the league. He's now entrenched as the starter, with good hands and crisp route-running, and I like his chances of reaching double-digits in TDs while improving on his 2009 receptions (51) and yardage (574) totals.

Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers: It'll be at least Week 7 before Ben Roethlisberger will be throwing passes to Miller in a game this season, which leaves the tight end's true value a bit up in the air. I still consider him just outside the top 10, whether it's Byron Leftwich or Dennis Dixon at the helm the first part of the season. Miller caught 76 passes for 789 yards and six TDs in 2009.

What do I know?
I've been playing fantasy football since 1998, and have participated in a keeper "dynasty" league since 2003. I also play in two or three single-season leagues each year, because as much as I love the keeper format, it's just fun to draft each season. I'm putting together these lists not because I think I'm a fantasy football expert (although I DID finally win my keeper league, plus another single-season league in 2009) but because I'm researching these players and stats and figured maybe I could help out other fantasy managers along the way. I'd love to hear your thoughts on these lists, and I'll continue rolling out positional and overall lists through the month of August, while fantasy football drafts are ongoing and while new information becomes available on players as they prepare for the 2010 season. Best of luck on the upcoming season, and feel free to share any insights you might have.