Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

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

 
WEEK 6 RANKINGS  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF

Offense wasn’t exactly ubiquitous in Week 5, with six teams failing to score at least 10 points, and 15 teams failing to register at least 20 points. This paucity of scoring affected the tight end position more than any other, as just four tight ends reached double-digits in fantasy points, and half of those came on Monday night. Every other position had at least seven players (or units, in the case of D/ST) attain double-digit fantasy points, which speaks volumes about the tight end production last week. But there is hope for the tight ends in Week 6 due to a number of excellent match-ups. Let’s explore those in this week’s rankings.

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF OCTOBER 11, 2012::

1. Tony Gonzalez (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Oakland

Gonzalez was one of the few bright spots at the tight end position for fantasy owners last week, leading all players with 13 catches, 123 yards and 18 fantasy points in Atlanta’s win over Washington. He scored his fourth touchdown in five games, and for the season leads all tight ends in fantasy points, receptions, receiving yards and targets, and is tied for first in touchdown catches. He’s having a fabulous year, and should continue it this week against the Raiders, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends this season.
Point Projection: 14 points

2. Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots) @ Seattle

Gronk had his second disappointing outing in the last three weeks on Sunday, collecting just 35 yards on four receptions in the Patriots win over the Broncos. He’s had just one game with 100 receiving yards this season, and this week goes to Seattle to face a Seahawks team that is fifth in the league in pass defense and tied for the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game allowed to tight ends. Nonetheless, he’s a match-up nightmare and we feel good about his chances of finding the end zone and picking up solid yardage.
Point Projection: 13 points

3. Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota Vikings) @ Washington

Rudolph found the end zone for the fourth time in his last four games last week in Minnesota’s win over Tennessee. He gained just 23 yards on four catches in the contest, but was targeted seven times, which was the second-highest total among Minnesota receivers. His match-up this week against the Redskins is outstanding – Washington is second-to-last in the league in pass defense, and has allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to tight ends.
Point Projection: 12 points

4. Fred Davis (Washington Redskins) vs. Minnesota

Davis came up with five receptions and 54 yards in Washington’s loss to Atlanta, marking his third consecutive game with at least 50 receiving yards. His season hasn’t been noteworthy just yet, but it’s tending upwards, and we think he’ll score his first touchdown of the year against the Vikings, who are giving up the sixth-most fantasy points per game in the league to tight ends.
Point Projection: 12 points

5. Owen Daniels (Houston Texans) vs. Green Bay

Daniels was second at the tight end position in fantasy points last week after securing four receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown in Houston’s win over the Jets. He’s had 70+ receiving yards in three of his five games this season, and has scored in three consecutive contests. For the season, Daniels is now third among tight ends in fantasy points and receiving yards and tied for third in receptions.
Point Projection: 11 points

6. Heath Miller (Pittsburgh Steelers) @ Tennessee

Miller snagged four passes from Ben Roethlisberger last week in the Steelers win over the Eagles, and gained 41 yards in the process. It was the first game in which he did not score a touchdown, but he’s still seventh among tight ends in fantasy points, and will increase his place in those standings against Tennessee, who has been awful against tight ends this season. The Titans have allowed the most fantasy points, receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns in the league to opposing tight ends this season.
Point Projection: 10 points

7. Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys) @ Baltimore

Witten and the Cowboys had their bye last week, but he is coming off his best game of the season, having caught 13 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown during Dallas’ Week 4 loss to Chicago. Despite being on a bye, Witten is still tied for fifth at his position in targets, and we think he’ll ramp up his production after a slow start. Baltimore is just 22nd in the league against the pass, and we like Witten to be the first tight end to score a touchdown against them this week.
Point Projection: 9 points

8. Vernon Davis (San Francisco 49ers) vs. New York Giants

Davis was one of the four players who reached double-digit fantasy points last week in San Francisco’s utter destruction of Buffalo. He compiled 10 points on five receptions (seven targets) and 106 yards in the game, and despite having caught just 20 passes this season, is fourth at his position in receiving yards and second in fantasy points. But the Giants represent a difficult match-up, and are tied for fourth-fewest fantasy points per game allowed to tight ends so far this season.
Point Projection: 8 points

9. Brent Celek (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. Detroit

Celek finally caught his first touchdown of the season last week in Philly’s loss to Pittsburgh, but corralled just three passes for nine yards in the game. He’s second among tight ends in receiving yards this season, and will face a Lions team this week that has given up the fourth-most fantasy points per game in the NFL to tight ends.
Point Projection: 8 points

10. Brandon Pettigrew (Detroit Lions) @ Philadelphia

Pettigrew and the Lions were on their bye last week, but Pettigrew remained among the tight end leaders in catches and targets. He’s tied for third in receptions and tied for fifth in targets, but is averaging less than 10 yards per catch and has only one touchdown, hurting his fantasy prowess. He’s also got a difficult match-up with the Eagles this week, who have given up the third-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends, and have allowed players at that position to gain 50 or more yards just once this season.
Point Projection: 7 points

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

Gates had a healthy seven targets last week against the Saints, but in what has become a far-too familiar sight, did little with them, snaring only three passes for 19 yards. Maybe we’re being stubborn here, but we refuse to give up on him less than a third of the way through the season. Gates squares off against the Broncos this week, and only eight teams have allowed more fantasy points per game to tight ends than they have, so this is the week he gets it going. We hope.
Point Projection: 7 points

12. Dennis Pitta (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Dallas

Pitta didn’t rebound the way we expected him to during Baltimore’s win over Kansas City last week. He caught just three passes for 22 yards in the game, though that’s three more receptions and 22 more yards than he had in Week 4. But he’s facing a Cowboys team this week that, despite being first in the NFL in pass defense, has allowed the tenth-most fantasy points per game in the league to tight ends, and has given up at least six fantasy points to tight ends in each of their contests this season.
Point Projection: 6 points

13. Jared Cook (Tennessee Titans) vs. Pittsburgh

The Titans were destroyed by the Vikings, 30-7, last week, though it was Cook who scored Tennessee’s only touchdown, to go with 37 yards on five catches and eight targets. He was targeted eight times in the game, which was the second-most on the team, and his explosiveness makes him a threat for big plays on a weekly basis.
Point Projection: 6 points

14. Coby Fleener (Indianapolis Colts) @ New York Jets

Fleener’s nine targets in the Colts win over the Packers were the third-most of any tight end during Week 5, but he could only turn those looks into five catches and 41 yards. He clearly has the talent to be a contributor to fantasy teams, and has a good chance to do a bit of damage this week against a Jets team that is tied for seventh-most fantasy points per game allowed to players at the tight end position.
Point Projection: 6 points

15. Jermaine Gresham (Cincinnati Bengals) @ Cleveland

How unproductive were tight ends last week? Gresham’s 60 receiving yards in Cincy’s loss to Miami equaled the fourth-highest total for the week, and his five receptions were tied for third-most. He’s now caught five passes in each of his past three games, and hasn’t had fewer than 30 receiving yards in a contest this season. Unfortunately, he also hasn’t had more than 64 receiving yards, and we don’t see that changing this week in Cleveland.
Point Projection: 5 points

16. Jermichael Finley (Green Bay Packers) @ Houston

Finley had to leave Green Bay’s game at Indianapolis during the third quarter due to a shoulder malady, but he says he’ll be fine for this week, though it’s not certain that he’ll play. Before getting injured, Finley wasn’t having a great game, with only 11 yards on three receptions and five targets. The Packers travel to Houston this week, and though the Texans have a very good pass defense, they’ve allowed a touchdown to a tight end in three consecutive games. If Finley was healthy, he’d be higher in our rankings, so if he does suit up he’s a solid starter for fantasy owners.
Point Projection: 5 points

17. Martellus Bennett (New York Giants) @ San Francisco

Bennett was injured early in New York’s game with Cleveland, but he continued to play, and caught three passes for 30 yards. He has a combined total of three fantasy points over his last two games, and we don’t think he’ll have much more than that this week against the 49ers. San Francisco is second in the league in pass defense, and over their past two games have allowed a total of one fantasy point to tight ends.
Point Projection: 4 points

18. Jacob Tamme (Denver Broncos) @ San Diego

Tamme’s six receptions in Denver’s loss to New England were the second-most by a tight end during Week 5, as were his 11 targets, though he managed just 50 receiving yards. He’s had more than five fantasy points just once this season, because he’s only caught a single touchdown pass. We like the fact that Tamme’s caught at least five passes in three of his games this season, but his failure to find the end zone makes him a fantasy back-up.
Point Projection: 4 points

19. Brandon Myers (Oakland Raiders) @ Atlanta

Myers and the Raiders had their bye last week, so he couldn’t continue to catch every pass thrown his way. We admit, that’s an exaggeration, but only slightly, because he’s snared 16 of the 17 throws that have come to him. But he has yet to score a touchdown, and can’t keep catching every throw that is targeted for him, so we have him down for a mediocre outing this week.
Point Projection: 4 points

20. Scott Chandler (Buffalo Bills) @ Arizona

Chandler had 40 receiving yards on four receptions in Buffalo’s loss to San Francisco on Sunday, but he was penalized two fantasy points due to a lost fumble. He’s fifth at the tight end position in fantasy points for the season, but just 20th in receptions and half of his catches have gone for touchdowns. That’s not a sustainable rate, and he faces a Cardinals team this week that has given up the fifth-fewest receptions in the league to opposing tight ends.
Point Projection: 3 points

21. Rob Housler (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Buffalo

Housler made his physical presence felt for Arizona in their loss to St. Louis last week, barreling over defenders to help him gain 45 yards on three receptions in the contest. He’s had 40+ receiving yards in each of his last two contests, and was targeted six times in the game against the Rams, so Kevin Kolb seems to be looking his way enough that Housler can have somewhat of an impact.
Point Projection: 3 points

22. Zach Miller (Seattle Seahawks) vs. New England

Miller caught all three passes thrown to him last week in Seattle’s win over Carolina, and made plenty of ground with those catches, gaining 59 yards. It was a season-high for Miller by nearly 20 yards, and he has yet to catch more than three passes in a game. The Patriots are a good match-up for tight ends, but Miller doesn’t do enough for the Seahawks to warrant consideration by fantasy owners.
Point Projection: 3 points

23. Dwayne Allen (Indianapolis Colts) @ New York Jets

Allen was actually tied for fifth in fantasy points last week, gaining 38 receiving yards and scoring on one of his four receptions in the Colts win over the Packers on Sunday. He has nine receptions and at least 35 receiving yards in each of his past two games, so his involvement in the offense has started to increase after a nondescript first two games of the season. Still, Coby Fleener has gotten more than twice the amount of targets as Allen, and is clearly the number one tight end in the Colts offense, so our expectations for Allen are tempered.
Point Projection: 2 points

24. Joel Dreesen (Denver Broncos) @ San Diego

Dreesen caught a touchdown for the third consecutive game last week in the Broncos loss to the Patriots, but just like the previous games in which he caught a scoring pass, failed to do much else, gaining only 21 yards on four receptions. It was the first game in which he caught more than two passes, and that lack of involvement, combined with a Chargers defense that is tough against tight ends, makes us believe he’ll have little impact this week.
Point Projection: 2 points

25. Anthony Fasano (Miami Dolphins) vs. St. Louis

Fasano was targeted four times last week in Miami’s win over Cincinnati, and caught three of those throws for 28 yards. On any given week, fantasy owners can expect about 2-4 catches for 20-40 yards from Fasano, which doesn’t exactly equal fantasy gold, does it? He doesn’t figure to do much more this week against a Rams team that has allowed the eighth-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends.
Point Projection: 2 points

26. Ben Watson (Cleveland Browns) vs. Cincinnati

Watson was targeted three times last week in Cleveland’s loss to New York, but caught just one pass and gained three feet. Fellow Browns tight end Jordan Cameron also makes some plays, but neither does very much, making it hard to separate one from the other. Still, no matter which Browns tight end we’re talking about, they shouldn’t figure into the plans for fantasy owners.
Point Projection: 2 points

27. Dallas Clark (Tampa Bay) vs. Kansas City

Clark and the Buccaneers were on their bye last week, but it’s not as if fantasy owners missed him. He’s accomplished little so far this season, and we aren’t hopeful he’ll accomplish much this week against the Chiefs. At this point, he’s not even a fantasy back-up, which is a far cry from his former status.
Point Projection: 2 points

28. Jeff Cumberland (New York Jets) vs. Indianapolis

We keep thinking that Dustin Keller is going to play, because we keep seeing the reports that he’s ready to. But Keller didn’t suit up Monday night, and Cumberland has filled in for him admirably. He was third in fantasy points for the week with 51 yards and a touchdown, despite catching only two of Mark Sanchez’s passes. Cumberland’s 11 fantasy points in the game were easily a season-high, and he isn’t utilized enough to be trusted in lineups of fantasy owners.
Point Projection: 1 point

29. Lance Kendricks (St. Louis Rams) @ Miami

Kendricks was targeted just twice in the Rams win over the Cardinals last Thursday, and caught only one pass, for seven yards, but it was for his first career touchdown. He’s facing a Dolphins team that has allowed the second-most receiving yards in the league to tight ends, but doesn’t have enough of a place in the St. Louis offense to be worthy of owning in fantasy leagues.
Point Projection: 1 point

30. Craig Stevens (Tennessee Titans) vs. Pittsburgh

Stevens was targeted four times last week, but managed just 14 yards on a pair of receptions in the Titans loss to the Vikings. He’s only caught more than two passes in a game once this season, and he’s just not a guy that fantasy owners should employ in their lineups.
Point Projection: 1 point