Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

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

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF JANUARY 4, 2012::

The tight end position wasn’t relatively strong this season for fantasy owners. There were two elite players in Jimmy Graham of New Orleans and Rob Gronkowski of New England, and a gaggle of solid but not outstanding options. For example, would it surprise you that Jason Witten had only 13 more fantasy points than Dustin Keller this year? Or that Brent Celek and Vernon Davis accumulated the same number of points? In this weekend’s Wild Card games, one of those elite options – Graham – is playing, and there are a couple more solid options, but a drop-off after that. Let’s take a look at the rankings to see how things will play out.

Standard Scoring

Pass TD: 4 points |  All Other TDs: 6 points
25 Passing Yards: 1 point |  All Turnovers: -2 points
10 Rushing Yards: 1 point |  10 Receiving Yards: 1 point

 
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1. Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints) vs. Detroit

Graham led all tight ends with 99 receptions this season, but was second to the aforementioned Rob Gronkowski in fantasy points (233 to 187), receiving yards (1,327 to 1,310), and touchdowns (17 to 11). But Graham’s season was still outstanding, and he had 11 games with double-digit fantasy points. One of the games in which he had less than 10 points came against the Lions in Week 13. He didn’t score a touchdown in that game, but did have eight catches for 89 yards. Detroit was one of the tougher teams in the league for tight ends to collect fantasy points against, as only seven squads allowed fewer points to players at that position than they did. But Graham is used differently than most tight ends, and with Drew Brees playing out of his mind, we think Graham will put up similar numbers to Week 13, but add a touchdown.
Point Projection: 14 points

2. Tony Gonzalez (Atlanta Falcons) @ New York Giants

Gonzalez was third in fantasy scoring at the tight end position throughout most of the season, but a strong showing in the season’s final weeks by New England’s Aaron Hernandez pushed Gonzalez to fourth. He had 80 receptions for 875 yards and seven touchdowns for the year, but hasn’t scored since Week 11 and had only seven catches for 63 yards in Weeks 15-17. Still, the Giants allowed the fifth-most fantasy points in the league to tight ends, and the G-Men have given up nine touchdowns to tight ends over their last nine games.
Point Projection: 9 points

3. Brandon Pettigrew (Detroit Lions) @ New Orleans

Pettigrew had a solid season for the Lions, with 83 catches for 777 yards and five touchdowns to place 11th among tight ends in fantasy scoring. His numbers rose in the last four games of the season, with three games of double-digit fantasy points, and amassed a season-high 116 receiving yards against the Packers in Week 17. Pettigrew had only two catches for 13 yards when the Lions played the Saints back in Week 13, but over his last two games he’s had 16 receptions for 196 yards and a touchdown, however the matchup is tough and there is no guarantee that he continues his recent stretch.
Point Projection: 6 points

4. Jake Ballard (New York Giants) vs. Atlanta

Ballard is officially questionable for this week’s game against the Falcons, but reports say it’s highly likely that he’ll suit up. Though he had only 38 receptions for the season, Ballard made them count, picking up 604 yards and four touchdowns despite missing the last two games of the year. Atlanta is the very definition of average when it comes to defending tight ends, as they ranked 16th in the 32-team NFL in fantasy points allowed to players at that position, though they did allow double-digit points to tight ends twice in their last four games.
Point Projection: 5 points

5. Owen Daniels (Houston Texans) vs. Cincinnati

Daniels started the season well, with at least eight fantasy points in four of his first five games, but steadily declined as the year went on, and wound up with 54 catches for 677 yards and three touchdowns. From Weeks 9-17, he had only one game with more than three fantasy points, though it should be noted that he did not suit up in Week 17 in what amounted to a meaningless game for Houston. The Bengals allowed the 11th-fewest fantasy points in the league to opposing tight ends, but gave up at least nine fantasy points to players at that position in three of their last four games.
Point Projection: 4 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 17 weeks of the NFL season we have given away over $6,900 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:  Wild Card Round $350 Contest  (click to register)

6. Jermaine Gresham (Cincinnati Bengals) @ Houston

Gresham missed two games in the regular season due to injury, but was still 13th in fantasy scoring at the tight end position this year. He had 56 catches for 596 yards and six touchdowns, but ended the season fairly strong, with 10 receptions for 126 yards and one score in his final two games of the 2011 campaign. Unfortunately, he has to face a daunting Texans defense this that shut the door on opposing tight ends this season – only three teams allowed fewer fantasy points to players at that position than Houston.
Point Projection: 4 points

7. Heath Miller (Pittsburgh Steelers) @ Denver

Miller had decent numbers with 51 catches and 631 yards this year, but scored only twice, and did next to nothing in the second half of the year. Here are his point totals from Weeks 10-17, in order: 3, 2, 1, -1, 8, 1, and 2. Only twice in that span did he record more than 25 yards, and he hasn’t scored since Week 7. The Broncos allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season, so Miller’s match-up is a tough one, and should be avoided.
Point Projection: 2 points

8. Joel Dreesen (Houston Texans) vs. Cincinnati

Dreesen’s six touchdown catches accounted for more than half of his fantasy points this year, which shouldn’t be a surprise when you consider he had only 353 yards on 28 receptions for the season. He had two or fewer fantasy points in nine of his 16 games this year, and though it’s possible he’ll find the end zone this week against the Bengals, there’s no reason to install him in your lineup with other options available.
Point Projection: 2 points

9. Tony Scheffler (Detroit Lions) @ New Orleans

Scheffler is a secondary piece of Detroit’s offense, playing second fiddle at his position to Brandon Pettigrew. He did score six times, but also had nine games with one or zero fantasy points, so he’s more likely to give you that than a touchdown. Scheffler had a pair of catches for 41 yards against the Saints in Week 13, but we don’t think reach those numbers this week.
Point Projection: 2 points

10. Daniel Fells (Denver Broncos) vs. Pittsburgh

In one of the league’s worst passing offenses with Tim Tebow under center, Fells should be completely ignored by all fantasy owners. He registered zero fantasy points in seven of his last 10 games, and just one point in two of those games. Fells just isn’t a guy fantasy owners should even consider.
Point Projection: 1 point

WILD CARD ROUND RANKINGS:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF  (click to view)