Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Kyle Smith
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF NOVEMBER 26, 2011::

Rob Gronkowski had two more touchdowns for the Patriots on Monday night – the fourth time this season that he’s scored a pair of touchdowns in a game – and as such vaulted past the idle Jimmy Graham to take the lead in fantasy scoring at the tight end position. Week 11 was a good one for the premier tight ends in the game, as Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Vernon Davis and Brandon Pettigrew each recorded a touchdown reception, and even though Kellen Winslow did not, he had a season-high 132 receiving yards. Heck, even Marcedes Lewis produced six fantasy points, which would be nothing if this were 2010, but it represented his highest total of 2011.

With Turkey Day and its slate of games upon us, this is going to be a short week for fantasy football aficionados, so let’s get right into our Fantasy Football Week 12 Tight Ends Rankings.

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Standard Scoring

Pass TD: 4 points |  All Other TDs: 6 points
25 Passing Yards: 1 point |  All Turnovers: -2 points

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1. Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots) @ Philadelphia

Despite hauling in just four Tom Brady throws on Monday night, Gronkowski led the team with 96 yards and two touchdowns. It was his second consecutive game with two scores, his third straight game with a touchdown and the fourth game in succession with at least 90 yards. In other words, he’s rolling. And you’ll want to keep right on rolling with him against the Eagles. Philly has been one of the better teams in the league in shutting down opposing tight ends, but that is partially due to the fact that they really haven’t faced many upper-echelon players at the position.
Point Projection: 17 points

2. Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints) vs. New York Giants

Graham had a bye last week, and comes into this game trailing the aforementioned Gronkowski for the lead in fantasy points at the tight end position. He still leads all tight ends with 62 receptions, 873 yards and 94 targets, but his six scores are four fewer than Gronk’s position-most 10. Graham squares off against the Giants this week, and even though they have been solid against tight ends for much of the season, they’ve struggled to contain them of late. Over New York’s last three games, they’ve given up over 100 yards to tight ends twice.
Point Projection: 15 points

3. Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Miami    **THANKSGIVING DAY FOOTBALL**

Witten was targeted only three times in Dallas’ OT win in Washington last week, but he turned those looks into a trio of catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. He’s scored five times over his last seven games, and has at least 70 yards in two of the past three weeks. Though Miami has only allowed a single touchdown to a tight end since Week 2, they have allowed the seventh-most receiving yards in the league to players at that position.
Point Projection: 14 points

4. Antonio Gates (San Diego Chargers) vs. Denver

Even though Gates somehow got just four targets last week in San Diego’s loss to the Bears, he managed to latch on to all four passes and gain 63 yards with a touchdown. In the five games since his return from a foot injury, he’s had at least 50 receiving yards in each contest, and has scored in three of those games. He faces Tebow Broncos this week, a team that he has not faced since 2009 due to injuries last season and earlier this year. They have actually held Gates in check for most of his career, with Gates not having had more than 70 yards or a touchdown against them since 2007. But we don’t expect that to be the case this time around, because the Chargers obviously do not have the same type of running game now that they did in those previous contests, and Gates is too integral a part of their offense to be held down.
Point Projection: 14 points

5. Tony Gonzalez (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Minnesota

Like Witten and Gates, Gonzalez did not receive a ton of looks last week (just six), but he still managed to be productive with those limited opportunities, snaring five passes for 74 yards and scoring a touchdown for the third consecutive week. He’s now second at the tight end position with seven touchdowns, and third at the position in fantasy scoring. The Vikings are middle-of-the road in terms of allowing fantasy points to tight ends, but take note of the fact that they’ve allowed at least 60 receiving yards to players at the position in seven of their 10 games this season.
Point Projection: 12 points

6. Brandon Pettigrew (Detroit Lions) vs. Green Bay    **THANKSGIVING DAY FOOTBALL**

Though Pettigrew scored for the first time since Week 6 in last week’s contest against the Panthers, he still had only 37 receiving yards on four receptions. He has not gained at least 50 yards since Week 4, though he’s remained a fantasy option because he has scored all three of his touchdowns since then. We think he’ll break the 50-yard mark with another touchdown this week against the Packers, who are simply bad against opposing tight ends. Only the Bears have allowed more fantasy points to opposing tight ends than Green Bay, and only the Cowboys have allowed more receiving yards.
Point Projection: 10 points

7. Kellen Winslow (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) @ Tennessee

Winslow led all tight ends this week with nine receptions and 132 receiving yards, continuing his run of strong play of late. He’s had at least eight fantasy points in three of his last four games, and the Titans represent another opportunity for him to do significant damage. Tennessee has allowed six touchdowns to opposing tight ends over their last seven contests, and has given up at least 50 receiving yards to players at that position in each of those games. More good things should be in store for Winslow’s fantasy owners this week.
Point Projection: 9 points

8. Greg Olsen (Carolina Panthers) @ Indianapolis

Unlike some of his fellow tight ends listed above, Olsen got plenty of opportunities to make plays last week, being targeted nine times in Carolina’s loss to Detroit. Also unlike the players listed above, Olsen failed to do much, with only 23 yards on three catches. With Jeremy Shockey out with an injury, it stood to reason that Olsen would do much, much more, but it simply didn’t play out that way. We find it hard to believe that Olsen will lay an egg in consecutive weeks, especially against a Colts team that allowed Marcedes Lewis to catch seven passes.
Point Projection: 9 points

9. Jermichael Finley (Green Bay Packers) @ Detroit    **THANKSGIVING DAY FOOTBALL**

Last week was another game with Green Bay scoring at least 30 points and another game with Finley not being a big part of the action. He caught all of one pass for 30 yards and was only targeted three times in the Packers’ win over Tampa. Finley has had fewer than 55 receiving yards in six of Green Bay’s 10 games this year, and less than 45 yards in five of his last seven contests. Still, he’s always a threat to find the end zone and have a big game, and is fifth at the tight end position in fantasy scoring, so it’s hard to put him too low in the rankings.
Point Projection: 8 points

10. Jermaine Gresham (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. Cleveland

Though Gresham had only 48 yards on three catches against the Ravens, he nearly scored a touchdown, but the call was overturned because the ball hit the ground as he was crossing the goal line. Still, it would have been the first touchdown to a tight end allowed by the Ravens this season, and would have been his fifth in eight games (he missed a pair of games due to injury). One of those scores came in Week 1 this season against Cleveland, who he’ll face this week. He also had 58 yards on six catches in that game, and we think he’ll have a similar output this week.
Point Projection: 8 points

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We’ve partnered with DraftStreet.com to provide our fans an opportunity to play WEEKLY salary cap fantasy football against the Bruno Boys Staff.  Through the first 11 weeks of the NFL season we have given away over $4,300 in cash prizes. This week, we are offering a $350 free roll in which the TOP 20 win prize money. Make sure to sign-up now for a chance to win money and take on the Bruno Boys… IT’S FREE!!

Please use this link to enter:  Week 12 $350 Contest  (click to register)

11. Owen Daniels (Houston Texans) @ Jacksonville

Daniels and the Texans were off last week, and maybe that was a good thing considering how he had come up empty over his past two games. He had just 32 and 31 yards, respectively, over those contests, and now Matt Schaub is injured and likely out for the season. That will mean Matt Leinart takes over under center, which might not be such a bad thing for Daniels. Leinart does not have good arm strength, so underneath throws to Daniels may be something we see plenty of from here on out, especially against a Jacksonville team that has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points in the league to tight ends.
Point Projection: 7 points

12. Brent Celek (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. New England

Celek caught all six of the passes thrown his way by Vince Young last week against the Giants, and compiled 60 receiving yards in the process. He’s now had at least 50 yards in each of his last four games, and six or more catches in three of those games. Celek should be able to continue in the same vain this week against a poor (but improving) New England pass defense, with or without Michael Vick as his quarterback.
Point Projection: 7 points

13. Heath Miller (Pittsburgh Steelers) @ Kansas City

Miller and the Steelers were off last week, but are at it again this week in Kansas City. He has played well recently, with at least seven fantasy points in four of his past six games. The Chiefs won’t offer much of a challenge to Miller, as they have given up the third-most fantasy points in the NFL to opposing tight ends, and have been beaten for four touchdowns in their last three games by players at that position.
Point Projection: 7 points

14. Fred Davis (Washington Redskins) @ Seattle

Davis didn’t come anywhere near living up to our expectations last week against the Cowboys, catching six passes – tied for the third-most among tight ends for the week – but mustering just 49 yards. He also lost a fumble, bringing his fantasy point total for the game to just two. With Chris Cooley injured, many thought that Davis would become a top-tier tight end, but he hasn’t shown that over his last three games, as he’s failed to reach 50 yards in any of them. The Seahawks represent a good match-up for him, as they’ve allowed five touchdowns to opposing tight ends over their last seven games, but it’s hard to trust Davis at this point.
Point Projection: 6 points

15. Jake Ballard (New York Giants) @ New Orleans

Ballard’s seven targets last week against the Eagles were tied for the second-most on the team, but he caught just one pass for 13 yards and added a pair of drops. But he should be able to reconcile with his fantasy owners after this week’s game in New Orleans. The Saints are tied with the Cowboys in allowing the fifth-most fantasy points in the league to opposing tight ends, and New Orleans has given up at least 65 yards and a touchdown to players at that position in their last two games.
Point Projection: 6 points