The Year of the Tight End

There was a lot of hype in the offseason about the tight end position being deeper than it has ever been, but I don't think even the experts expected a bonanza such as this.

With upwards of 20 tight ends being at least serviceable options over the first three weeks, there exists an embarrassment of riches, both on active rosters and on the waiver wire. Only the rare two tight end leagues are experiencing the usual shortages headed into the bye weeks.

Everyone knew Antonio Gates and Dallas Clark were going to be elite options, and they were drafted as such. So were Davis and Finley, and Cooley to a lesser extent. And big names like Witten, Celek and Daniels haven't even really shown up yet.

The good news is if you're pressed for a tight end in any given week, it shouldn't be difficult to find one. The bad news is if you spent a high draft pick on the position, it was most likely unnecessary. I did in all my leagues, mostly because I didn't buy the hype about depth. But it's still hard to argue with buying the peace of mind that Gates or Clark brings to your lineup. Not all the tight ends are every week plays. Those guys are, freeing up a bench spot for something other than a reserve TE.

But that brings me directly to the related counterpoint. There is likely no reason to carry a reserve tight end, regardless who your "starter" is. Whether you have a mid-level or elite guy, why bother with a reserve? Even in case of injury or to play on your bye week, there WILL be someone else there when you need him.

It's almost to the point where you can effectively stream mid-level guys. The problem is streaming often relies on matchup ratings. It's easy to predict good matchups for runnings backs and quarterbacks. Wide receiver matchups are less predictable, but you can create relatively decent odds. Predicting tight end matchups, however, is often very unreliable. Game planning, game situation, and variances in usage from team-to-team dramatically alter the matchup defense numbers for tight ends, much more so than the other positions. So I tend to take those with a grain of salt, and rely more on actual production by an individual to determine any tight end's value in a given week. That's where a guy like Gates or Clark holds a significant advantage. Finley too, as essentially matchup-proof.

The abundance of tight ends has also meant you're not going to get nearly as much in trade for a high-end guy. For those of you stocking two big talents, good luck trying to get good return on either. There are just too many legitimate options on the wire for anyone to bother coming after yours. And if you're in the opposite situation, looking for a workable guy, you're obviously not looking hard enough. He's out there.

Running Back Update:
More wildcard options surfacing just in time for the bye weeks. Laurence Maroney gets another shot this week with Moreno still out, but he didn't look very good last week so he's a pretty risky play but with some upside. Ryan Torain got picked up in many leagues, but I'm a little confused as to why. Even if he does get a lot of early-down work, it's still an unimpressive O-line and he's not exactly a burner. He had one run of 36 yards last week, but only generated 10 yards on six other runs. Not a recipe for success. Kenneth Darby will get the rock if SJax is sidelined, as expected, but it would be hard to play him as well. And in New Orleans, my boy Chris Ivory was looking like a very sneaky plug-in for Week 4 with PT possibly out, but now it looks like Ladell Betts (Ladell Betts!) will be the featureback if PT sits due to Ivory's pass protection issues. Still a decent stash in my opinion, but probably right on the bubble, especially during bye weeks. Betts could end up being the sneaky play this week, but he's certainly no better than Maroney, Torain or Darby in terms of risk/reward. The same is true of either Brandon Jackson or John Kuhn. Both could be serviceable plays against Detroit's horrid rush defense, but I wouldn't count on either, nor one over the other, although Jackson has the upside edge. Jackson could get the yardage, and would be a boom pick if he breaks off a long TD run or reception. Kuhn would probably get the call inside the five, but don't forget about the team's rushing TDs leader: Aaron Rodgers. His ability to scramble in almost makes Kuhn obsolete, or at least cuts his goalline value in half.