TE Rankings Week 5

At this point the problem with the tight ends is that there are definitely the 'have's' and the 'have nots' - there are very distinct tiers that won't fluctuate all that much. So you should see a lot of lists and they may look the same.

Witten is Witten - until I see otherwise he's almost on his own tier. Consistent, dynamic and a fave of Romo's the only thing he could do more of is score mroe TDs. One through four games is a bummer but he puts up yards and is pretty darned consistent.

Gates is back BABY! Fully healed he should start producing numbers closer to what we have been used to in the past. Start him against a better than advertised but still middling defense - the Phins have given up 6 passing TDs to date and opposing teams average 200+ yards a game through the air. Gates should be good to go.

Oline back in shape? Check. Team fresh off a bye week? Check. Run game ready to go? Check. Manning back to his old self? Check. Dallas Clark helthy? Check. All the items point to Dallas Clark being back and ready to roll. He looked good in week 3. He'll look good against a Texans D that has given up four passing TDs in their first three games. Manning and Clark should have a good day in Houston.

Damon Huard is a good thing for both Gonzo and Dwayne Bowe. While he's no Joe Montana, Huard can find his stars and that's good for Gonzo. It's not an easy matchup against the Panthers this week but Huard will look to Gonzalez to help move the chains and the tight end should put up good numbers this week.

Chris Cooley? Yes, Cooley. While he was lackluster last week and had a rough first game as well, Cooley put up two solid fantasy games in between. I think against the Eagles that Campbell will look to his TE more to helpo move the chains. It's a tough matchup for Campbell and he may not have time to stretch the field with his usual target of Santana Moss. Cooley may have more luck underneath this week and be a good safety valve for the Skins passing offense.

Right near the top five would be Anthony Fasano against a Chargers D that gives away TDs to TEs pretty consistently. If I trusted Fasano to be consistent on his own, he would have cracked my five. Owen Daniels has seen plenty of targets - and caught them - the last two games. He might crack the TD column this week. John Carlson still hangs in my top ten despite Engram and Branch coming back - I think he still gets plenty of work. And Heath Miller might find himself getting some work as Big Ben is forced to pass a little more to help give Mewelde Moore room to run.

Back with more rankings a little later.

Tight ends

1. Jason Witten, Cowboys vs. Bengals
2. Antonio Gates, Chargers at Dolphins
3. Dallas Clark, Colts at Texans
4. Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs at Panthers
5. Chris Cooley, Redskins at Eagles
6. Anthony Fasano, Dolphins vs. Chargers
7. Owen Daniels, Texans vs. Colts
8. Tony Scheffler, Broncos vs. Buccaneers
9. John Carlson, Seahawks at Giants
10. Heath Miller, Steelers at Jaguars
11. Greg Olsen, Bears at Lions
12. Bo Scaife, Titans at Ravens
13. Desmond Clark, Bears at Lions
14. Visanthe Shiancoe, Vikings at Saints
15. Donald Lee, Packers vs. Falcons
16. L.J. Smith, Eagles vs. Redskins
17. Billy Miller, Saints vs. Vikings
18. Alex Smith, Buccaneers at Broncos
19. Kevin Boss, Giants vs. Seahawks
20. Alge Crumpler, Titans at Ravens
21. Todd Heap, Ravens vs. Titans
22. Vernon Davis, 49ers vs. Patriots
23. Robert Royal, Bills at Cardinals
24. David Martin, Dolphins vs. Chargers
25. Ben Watson, Patriots at 49ers