1. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Gates is tops among fantasy football tight ends, a 6-foot-4, 260-pounder who is used more like a wide receiver in the Chargers' pass-first offense. Gates had 79 receptions for 1,157 yards and eight touchdowns in 2009, and over seven NFL seasons, he's caught 59 TD passes.
2. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts
Clark caught 100 passes for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2009, the biggest season statistically of his seven-year NFL career. He appears entrenched as one of Peyton Manning's favorite red-zone targets.
3. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers
Davis had a breakthrough season in 2009, developing a good connection with QB Alex Smith on the way to 78 catches for 965 yards and 13 touchdowns. He should continue to be a top red-zone target for Smith in 2010.
4. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers
Finley had a big finish to the 2009 season, with 28 receptions for 334 yards and four touchdowns over the final five games. With Aaron Rodgers directing a prolific passing offense, there's no reason to think Finely won't pick up where he left off in ’09.
5. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Witten caught 94 passes for 1,030 yards in 2009, but he found the end zone just twice. With a few more touchdowns in 2010 and similar production on receptions and yards, Witten is a great starting fantasy football tight end.
6. Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles
New Philly quarterback Kevin Kolb started two games in 2009, and in those two games, Celek caught eight passes for 104 yards each week, with a touchdown in Week 3. In total, he caught 76 passes for 971 yards and eight touchdowns in 2009.
7. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons
Gonzalez broke in with the Falcons in 2009, catching 83 passes for 867 yards and six touchdowns. In 13 NFL seasons, the first 12 with Kansas City, he's missed only two regular-season games and caught 999 receptions for 11,807 yards and 82 touchdowns.
8. Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The good news is, Winslow is coming off a season in which he caught 77 passes for 884 yards and five touchdowns. The bad news is, he only caught one of those TD passes after current Tampa Bay starter Josh Freeman took over in 2009. It's not as though Freeman didn't target Winslow, however, as the two connected 48 times in Freeman's 10 games at the helm, including two seven-reception games for Winslow. Expect the touchdowns to increase in 2010.
9. Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings
Shiancoe caught 11 touchdown passes with Brett Favre at quarterback for the Vikings in 2009. Even if Favre doesn't return to play in 2010, Shiancoe is a top 10 fantasy football tight end.
10. Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders
Miller is coming off a season in which he caught 66 passes for 805 yards. He only found the end zone three times in 2009, but the addition of quarterback Jason Campbell for 2010 could mean increased production for Miller.
Just Outside the Top 10:
Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
Daniels is coming off ACL surgery, but the Texans say he'll be ready to go for their regular-season opener. If he's fully recovered, Daniels is easily a top-10 tight end and probably a top-five pick. He scored five touchdowns with 519 yards in eight games before getting injured in 2009.
John Carlson, Seattle Seahawks
Carlson is a reliable target for Matt Hasselbeck, and is coming off a 2009 season in which he caught 51 passes for 574 yards.
Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers
Miller caught 76 passes for 789 yards and six touchdowns in 2009. With Ben Roethlisberger suspended four-to-six games to start the season, Miller's value is tough to gauge heading into 2010.
Adam Sparks - Adam Sparks has been a reporter, copy editor and designer during a 14-year newspaper career that has taken him from Oregon to Hawaii and ...
