Showing posts tagged tight end

Clark, Stocker, and Two Smoking Tight Ends

I agree with Ken Kelly’s analysis. Kellen Winslow was dealt out of Tampa for two reasons:

  1. His contract was far too rich given his production; and
  2. The front office and coaches have faith in Luke Stocker as their future starter.

Personally, I think the future is a lot closer than many people realize. Stocker is a well-rounded tight end who, by his own GM’s admission, is an every-down player. He reminds me a lot of Heath Miller and Jason Witten.

Ignore the Dallas Clark signing. He’s simply a veteran insurance piece brought on to mentor Stocker. Unless he bounces back with his receiving skills, his subpar blocking skills make him a liability even in two tight end sets. Given his contract, unless he wows in camp, he’ll probably be cut before his $2.7 million salary becomes guaranteed.

Simple Draft Advice Inspires Deeper Reflection on Fantasy Football Trends

Ken Clein is back over at Dynasty League Football with a pretty nice article on things to consider when rookie drafting. Sure he contradicts himself a bit by his own admission with Tenet #5 (Every position is important) and #3 (Never draft a DB or K), but the article is best taken as “food for thought.”

Such is the case for with Tenet #4: Pick a TE sooner.

The NFL has evolved in two important respects that has shaken fantasy football to its core:

  1. Running back committees.
  2. Pass receiving tight ends.

The running back position, once the sacred cow of fantasy football, has diminished in importance as teams have gone away from the feature back system. This has in turn given rise to stud wide receivers and quarterbacks making more appearances in the first two rounds. The production playing field has flattened. We’ve seen this trend coming from a long way, but it’s really hitting home in 2012.

The stud tight end pass catching trend on the other hand has been more of a surprise. Sure there was Tony Gonzalez and Shannon Sharpe for a number of years, followed by Antonio Gates, but the past three years has seen an explosion of talent. Behemoths that can block and catch and perhaps more importantly run. It’s a revolution that we have yet to see the full consequences come to pass, because defenses are going to adjust in ways we probably haven’t quite seen yet.

It’s an exciting and scary time for fantasy owners. Who would have thought a tight end could reasonably be drafted in the first two rounds of any draft five years ago?