Sleepers

Leonard Pope, Arizona Cardinals. Pope did have a far superior second year as compared to his rookie season, even though he missed the end of the season with a broken ankle. His 23 catches for 238 yards is still nothing to get excited about, but he did score five times in just ten games. He should never have a group of defenders around him with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin on the same field. It really isn’t fair that someone with Pope’s size (6′8″, 257) can move and catch like he can, but so far, he hasn’t been able to translate these gifts into a productive NFL season. However, with his TD numbers last season, it is obvious that the Cards are looking more his way in the red zone.

Dustin Keller, New York Jets. Even though they acquired a good pass catching tight end in Bubba Franks and still have underachieving Chris Baker on their roster, the Jets still used their second 1st round pick on TE Dustin Keller from Purdue. Keller had 124 catches in his final two seasons in college, and although he isn’t a great blocker, has a chance to be a good pass catching tight end for the Jets. Having Brett Favre under center increases Keller’s chances as he has shown the desire to throw to his tight end over his career (Bubba Franks, Donald Lee, etc), especially in the red zone. He will most likely start the season slow, but this is a guy who could come out of nowhere after the Jets’ bye week.

Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags’ first round pick in 2006, Lewis has certainly come up short of expectations so far. He has just 50 catches in his first two seasons, and it is surprising given his great hands and physical gifts (he is 6′6″ and 262 pounds). Lewis isn’t having much of a preseason with just five catches, but at least he did find the endzone once, something he did just twice all of last season. He has the tools, he just needs to put it all together, it isn’t like Jacksonville has a ton of weapons taking looks away from him.

Others to watch for: Ben Watson, New England Patriots; Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders, Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears

Busts

Todd Heap, Baltimore Ravens. I’ve always liked Todd Heap, but he has two factors that seriously work against him being the type of fantasy player you think of when you say his name. First is his health. It isn’t as bad as we have in our minds, it is just when Heap misses time, he misses a TON of time. He doesn’t get the nagging injury that forces him to miss a week. When he gets hurt, Heap gets his money’s worth. He has played in seven NFL seasons, and has played four 16 games seasons and twice has just played six games. The other is his QB situation, it is a mess. Whether it’s Troy Smith, Kyle Boller, or Joe Flacco, Heap won’t exactly have Joe Montana throwing him the ball. Although an inexperienced QB is often a tight end’s best friend (or the other way around), none of those guys are exactly known for their accuracy. The Ravens’ offense will stink, but Heap could be the one bright spot on it.

Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts. Clark is another case of a bust that in my opinion will have a decent season, but if you draft him expecting last year’s 11 TDs you will be sorely disappointed. Clark is a nice safety valve for Peyton Manning and the Colts’ offense, but he is far from a primary option. With the expected emergence of Anthony Gonzalez at the third wide receiver, I see Clark getting back to his 40 or so catches and 4-6 scores that we have become accustomed to.

Alge Crumpler, Tennessee Titans. Once the reliable safety valve for Michael Vick, Crumpler is now a member of the Titans, and looks to be the safety valve for another erratic, young scrambling QB in Vince Young. Crumpler’s best season was 65 catches for 877 yards, and his high in TDs is eight. I don’t see him getting near any of these totals, as he is getting older now and has suffered with some injuries. Crumpler is a load at 6′2″ and 262 pounds, and unlike some of the new, young tight ends, he isn’t nearly as athletic for his size. If you leave your tight end pick unti very late in the draft he isn’t a horrible choice, but I would want to have to start him every week.

Others to avoid: Randy McMichael, St. Louis Rams, L.J. Smith, Tony Scheffler, Denver Broncos

As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours

Tags: Alge Crumpler, ben watson, Dallas Clark, dustin keller, Greg Olsen, Leonard Pope, LJ Smith, Marcedes Lewis, Randy McMichael, Todd Heap, Tony Scheffler, zach miller

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