2011 TE Target Stats Tight Ends Tm Gm Tar Rec Yrds TD Jimmy Graham NO 16 149 99 1,310 11 Brandon Pettigrew DET 16 126 83 777 5 Rob Gronkowski NE 16 124 90 1,327 17 Kellen Winslow TB 16 121 75 763 2 Jason Witten DAL 16 117 79 942 5 Tony Gonzalez ATL 16 116 80 875 7 Dustin Keller NYJ 16 115 65 815 5 Aaron Hernandez NE 14 113 79 910 7 Brent Celek PHI 16 97 62 811 5 Vernon Davis SF 16 95 67 792 6 Jermichael Finley GB 16 92 55 767 8 Jermaine Gresham CIN 14 92 56 596 6 Ed Dickson BAL 16 89 54 528 5 Greg Olsen CAR 16 89 45 540 5 Fred Davis WAS 12 88 59 796 3 Antonio Gates SD 13 88 64 778 7 Marcedes Lewis JAC 15 85 39 460 0 Owen Daniels HOU 15 84 54 677 3 Jared Cook TEN 16 81 49 759 3 Heath Miller PIT 16 74 51 631 2 Ben Watson CLE 13 71 37 410 2 Visanthe Shiancoe MIN 16 70 36 409 3 Dallas Clark IND 11 65 34 352 2 Jeremy Shockey CAR 15 62 37 455 4 Jake Ballard NYG 14 61 38 604 4 Lance Kendricks STL 15 58 28 352 0 Dennis Pitta BAL 16 56 40 405 3 Anthony Fasano MIA 15 54 32 451 5 Evan Moore CLE 16 47 34 324 4 Scott Chandler BUF 14 46 38 389 6 Randy McMichael SD 16 44 30 271 0 Zach Miller SEA 15 44 25 233 0 Tony Scheffler DET 15 42 26 347 6 Kevin Boss OAK 14 40 28 368 3 Joel Dreessen HOU 16 39 28 353 6

2011 Fantasy TE Target Stats

Of all the positions in fantasy football, the tight end might be the most important when considering targets. In leagues where it’s mandatory to start a TE, the gap between the top few guys and everyone else is huge.

Since 2007, every tight end to lead the league in touchdowns has doubled the TD output of the tenth ranked guy. That means that in fantasy football, it pays to grab an elite guy early.

In every fantasy football league I have been in that has had a mandatory tight end; there is always a run on the position at some point. The key is figuring out when to follow the crowd and when to get out of the way and wait to snap up a tier two player in a later round.

Since depth at the TE spot isn’t nearly as great as the very deep wide receiving position, analyzing the target numbers becomes more and more vital. Once the top four or five guys are gone, the tight end position becomes almost like kickers – they are all about the same.

The important thing to figure out is how to sort through the second tier and find that hidden gem – the guy you can pick up in the eighth or ninth round and get close to double digit touchdowns and good yardage production.

Last season New England’s Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham from New Orleans were the class of the league and will be the first two guys off the board in most leagues in 2012. On paper, there seems to be a drop off at number three. Targets can help you sort out that next group of guys.

Despite his average numbers last year it did not surprise me to see who was second in the league – above ‘Gronk’ – in tight end targets. Detroit’s Brandon Pettigrew trailed only Graham, who finished with a healthy 149 looks- good enough for sixth in the league. With the continued rise of the Lions offense, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy is my clear choice at number three. With that offense and that many chances, Pettigrew is primed for a break out year in 2012.

Dustin Keller’s targets immediately threw up a red flag for me. He was targeted a respectable 115 times, but only caught 65 balls. That was by far the worst ratio of anyone in the top ten for targets. I don’t know if that is an indictment on Keller, quarterback Mark Sanchez or both, but it will make me think twice when considering where to draft Keller if I am in the market for a tight end in that second tier of talent.

Jacksonville’s Marcedes Lewis’ ratio was even worse. He was targeted 85 times, but caught just 39 balls. Lewis was a hot commodity in fantasy circles after an impressive 2010 campaign, but the inability of quarterback Blaine Gabbert to have any success at all as a rookie makes Lewis an after-thought as a top tight end in upcoming fantasy drafts.

Another fashionable second tier starter has been Miami’s Anthony Fasano, but buyer beware. Fasano was targeted a meager 54 times last season. For some prospective, Dennis Pitta from Baltimore was targeted two more times and caught eight more balls than Fasano. To say Pitta made more of his opportunities than the better known tight end from down south is an understatement. Fasano started 15 games – Pitta a grand total of one.

On the positive side, some hidden gems include guys like Pitta’s teammate Ed Dickson (89 targets), Washington’s Fred Davis (88 targets in 12 games) and Tennessee’s Jared Cook (81 targets). With Davis and Cook dealing with extremely young quarterbacks, they could get a lot of attention as their quarterbacks get their feet wet.

Like any position, you need to look at the little things to make solid tight end decisions on draft day. Knowing when to pull the trigger on your starter is the key to getting good fantasy production from your tight end. And if you’re not lucky enough to draft one of the top stars, analyzing last season’s target number can help you still get good production- at a steeply discounted price.