How come the WR rankings only go to 45 and the RBs go into the 60's? I can start 4 WRs!
F&L does what updates he has time for when he has time for them, so sometimes the rankings don't go as deep as others. The second most recent WR rankings (November 11th) go
all the way to 122, which should be plenty deep enough. Besides, it's not as if there's that much difference between WRs once you get past 50 or so. Really, at that point, it mostly just comes down to personal preference.
Feel like we could use a bit of a TE discussion in here. Especially since the rankings haven't been updated for awhile. I'm thinking the top-10 looks something close to this at the moment:
1. Dallas Clark, he's just such an advantage, and he's tied to the best QB in the game. He also seems to be getting over previous durability concerns.
2. Antonio Gates, still extremely solid, doesn't seem to have the upside he once did, but I still feel he's the most reliable TE in the NFL.
3. Vernon Davis, too soon? I've been extremely impressed with him all year and he's been even better since the switch to Alex Smith. With his athletic ability, I don't think a Gates-like run is unrealistic, however I don't trust him enough to move him higher quite yet.
4. Jason Witten, he's having a down year, but I still think he's an elite guy. He's had a bit of a resurgence since teams began doubling Miles Austin.
5. Kellen Winslow, I've always liked him more than most so maybe this is too high, he's been solid since Freeman took over.
6. Brent Celek, he's locked into a long term deal in a very favorable situation, and he's tough to game plan against because the Eagles have so many weapons. Of course those same weapons are probably what keeps Celek out of the top-5.
7. Greg Olsen, hasn't broken out like many thought he would with Cutler, but he's still young and hasn't fully showcased his talent yet.
8. Owen Daniels, before the injury I'd have had him 3rd, I wonder if he's a product of the system a little bit. Which is really my concern with all Texans except AJ. If Kubiak is fired, how valuable is the TE position in Houston?
9. Tony Gonzalez, I want to rank him lower, but I can't really find anyone to put ahead of him. He's still a top-5 TE at the moment, he seemingly has to slow down soon, then again, maybe we are watching the Jerry Rice of the TE position.
10. Chris Cooley, would have been 7th before his injury. Its tough to rank Redskins in general, I have no idea who will be coaching or quarterbacking the Redskins next year, but I feel pretty confident it won't be the guys they have now.
Does that sound about right?
I don't have any hard TE rankings at the moment, but off the top of my head, my top 10 would look something vaguely like this:#1- Antonio Gates.
Still the most talented TE and arguably the most difficult matchup in the league. It's that simple.
#2- Jason Witten.
He posted the two best seasons of his career in back to back years, then followed it up with a 1-TD season as he saw his fantasy value fall from elite to barely a TE1. No, I'm not talking about this year, I'm talking about 2006. In '06, Witten had the same receptions and yardage for the same ypr as '05, but his TDs fell and Witten became fantasy TE12. In '09, Witten is on pace for pretty much the same receptions and yardage (with a very slight downtick in ypr) as '08, but is TDs fell and Witten is currently fantasy TE13. Last time it happened, he rebounded with back-to-back top 2 finishes. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Jason Witten- nothing that hasn't happened to him before, at any rate. The TDs are the only thing keeping his value down, and the TDs are a fluke. The TDs will follow the yards, if not this year then next year. He's 27, and he's proven. Stay the course. Look into buying low.
Now we hit a big gap. The only other TE with the track record of those two is Clark, but I think his huge uptick this year is largely the result of Gonzalez's injury, and I'm also a bit wary of his age (30's pushing it for TEs, and while Gates is only a year younger, Gates is a better talent). Other than Clark, you've got a boatload of question marks. Winslow's still a tease, Daniels is injured and likely changing teams, Cooley doesn't have the upside, Olsen and Keller haven't done anything, Gonzalez is ancient, Celek and Davis don't have much of a track record. It's really hard to make sense of this tangle... but that doesn't mean I can't try!
#3- Vernon Davis.
Is this year a fluke? Yup. 9 TDs in 11 games ain't happening again. The yardage and receptions are both a bit low, and the ypr isn't anything to write home about. His situation isn't that great unless San Fran does the improbable and switches to the spread more or less full time. Despite all of this, he's the best physical specimen playing TE today (one of the biggest physical freaks at any position, to be honest). He deserves this ranking, in my mind, based on age and upside alone.
#4- Dallas Clark.
Sure, he's aging. Sure, he's probably not as talented as the other guys ahead of him. Sure, his numbers will regress once Peyton gets his full complement of receivers back. Doesn't matter. I think he's more likely to produce more difference-making seasons than anyone else left out there.
#5- Kellen Winslow Jr.
#6- Dustin Keller
#7- Greg Olsen
I'll admit, I don't have a lot of reasoning behind these three beyond simple gut feeling. These are the guys who I think are most likely to make the next step to "fantasy difference maker", ranked in the order of likelihood.
#8- Owen Daniels
#9- Chris Cooley
Daniels is this low because I'm assuming he's not in Houston next year. He's a good talent, but not a transcended talent, and TEs are more dependent on situation than any other offensive position. Cooley is this low because I think the upside is gone, and at TE I'd always rather gamble on upside.
#10- Jermichael Finley
#11- Brent Celek
Promising young upside plays.