2008 Tight End Statistics

(returning players in bold)

                        Mark Hafner (Houston)                                                                                     

	PLAYER	REC	YDS	TD	F-PTS	GMS	F-PPG
1	James Casey (Rice)	111	1570	21	283.00	13	21.77
2	Chase Coffman (Mizzou)	90	987	10	158.70	12	13.23
3	Jermaine Gresham (OU)	66	950	14	179.00	14	12.79
4	Rob Gronkowski (Ariz)	47	672	10	127.20	10	12.72
5	86	907	11	156.70	13	12.05
6	Dennis Pitta (BYU)	83	1083	6	144.30	13	11.10
7	Cody Slate (Marshall)	40	510	8	99.00	10	9.90
8	Eddie Williams (Idaho)	54	687	6	104.70	11	9.50
9	DJ Williams (Arkansas)	58	699	3	87.90	10	8.79
10	Darius Hill (Ball State)	40	670	7	109.00	14	7.79
11	Garrett Graham (Wisc)	40	540	5	84.00	11	7.64
12	B. Ledbetter (WMU)	45	464	6	82.40	11	7.49
13	Jamari Grant (FAU)	45	642	4	88.20	13	6.78
14	J. McCoy (Texas A&M)	43	500	5	80.00	12	6.67
15	Shawn Nelson (SMiss)	53	557	3	73.70	12	6.14

(

scoring system used for table:

  0.10 pts per yard, 6 pts per TD, no PPR)

Who’s gone?

There sure are some big holes to fill at the tight end position:

Rice’s James Casey had perhaps the greatest season in the history of college fantasy TE’s in 2008.  Nobody is going to replicate his production.  Not even close.  Rice is basically starting over on offense.  Studs QB Chase Clement and WR Jarrett Dillard are gone.  The Owls are also breaking in a new offensive coordinator.  Lots of unknowns.  Taylor Wardlow could be the man stepping into Casey’s shadow at tight end.  The senior-to-be has 32 catches, 391 yards and 5 touchdowns on his resume.

Mizzou’s Chase Coffman also graduates.  His career numbers were spectacular:  247 career receptions, 2,659 yards and 30 touchdowns.  Like Rice, Missouri is also in rebuilding mode.  QB Chase Daniel and WR Jeremy Maclin are gone, as is their offensive coordinator.  Andrew Jones is next in line at the tight end position.  He showed some promise as a freshman, catching 20 balls for 146 yards. 

Houston’s Mark Hafner was your classic case of “wide receiver playing at tight end”.  Houston returns All-Everything QB Case Keenum and a host of talented receivers.  The real question is whether or not Houston will designate one of their bigger WR’s as a defacto tight end.  If that is the case, then that player will have fantasy value.  We won’t know the answer to this question until August. 

Last season’s top preseason fantasy tight end prospect, Darius Hill, also graduates.  He had a disappointing senior year (statistically), but his 2,400+ career yards and 31 touchdowns will certainly be missed in Muncie.  Madaris Grant (26-285-0 in 2008) should become the starter in Hill’s absence.  With QB Nate Davis deciding to go pro and Head Coach Brady Hoke jumping ship to San Diego State, we’re not endorsing Grant yet as a top fantasy tight end.

Who’s back?

The way we see it, there are three returning “top shelf” fantasy tight ends:  Gresham, Gronkowski and Pitta.  The next tier is a mixed bag.

With QB Sam Bradford returning, OU’s Jermaine Gresham should continue to put up good fantasy numbers.  The question for Gresham - and the rest of the Sooners - is the offensive line where they will be breaking in four new starters.

Arizona TE Rob Gronkowski battled through mono at the beginning of the 2008 season and still had a very nice fantasy season.  The big question for The Gronk in ‘09 is who will be throwing him the ball.  Veteran QB Willie Tuitama is gone and a new, more inexperience signal-caller will be under center.  Will that be a good thing or a bad thing for Gronkowski?

BYU’s Dennis Pitta lacked in the touchdown department in 2008, but more than made up for it in receptions and yards.  He and Casey were the only two TE’s to break the 1,000 yard barrier.  QB Max Hall returns for the Cougars, and WR Austin Collie departs.  We expect another big year from Pitta - with a few more touchdowns.

Who has the most upside?

We really like Arkansas Razorback TE D.J. Williams.  He was the team’s leading receiver last fall and we think his numbers could take a big jump if new QB Ryan Mallett lives up to expectations.  If you aren’t able to grab one of the top three TE’s in your draft, you could find tremendous value with Mr. Williams in a later round.

Anybody coming off injury?

Yep, Florida Atlantic’s Jason Harmon is back after missing 2008 with a torn ACL.  He had a great 2007, posting 63-825-5.  Teammates Jamari Grant and Rob Housler picked up the slack in 2008, combining for 77-1,161-8.  We expect Harmon to have a productive year catching passes from Rusty Smith.  The only concern is that Grant and Housler both return and could potentially steal some statistics.

Who are the sleepers?

See our Pre-Spring Sleepers here.  One other name to add to the list is Eastern Michigan’s Josh LeDuc.

Who else is out there?

Marshall’s Cody Slate is a rock solid option.  Florida’s Aaron Hernandez came on strong at the end of 2008.  Wisconsin’s Garrett Graham led the Badgers in receptions, yards and TD’s.  Oregon’s Ed Dickson started out 2008 on fire but finished off the season on a wildly inconsistent note.  See our 2009 Tight End Rankings here.

Final Verdict:  So, will tight end production equal that of 2008?

The answer is no.  Whenever you lose players the caliber of James Casey and Chase Coffman, you are worse off.  But as we’ve discussed above, the cupboard certainly isn’t bare.  There are plenty of tight end options out there.

If your fantasy draft was today (03/06/09)....

If your league starts a tight end, the obvious goal would be to try and grab either Gresham, Gronkowski or Pitta.  Land one of these guys, and you’ve got a nice little advantage over the majority of your league.  The trick, as always, is figuring out when to draft tight ends.  Our early advice would be to let someone else start the TE run and hope that you are in a position to still get one of the top three.  If you miss out on the run, your best bet is to wait a few rounds and try and grab someone from the next tier, such as a Cody Slate or D.J. Williams.

Follow Todd DeVries on Twitter: @CFFGeek


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