Vernon Davis
It was a rough day at the office last week for Jimmy Graham, but he's firmly entrenched in the top spot on Athlon Sports' fantasy football Week 16 tight end rankings. Graham still leads all tight ends in fantasy points by nearly 60, leads the NFL in touchdown receptions (12), and is facing a Carolina defense against which he recorded two scores just two weeks ago. Graham brought you this far, you may as well let him finish the job.
As impressive a season as Graham has had, Vernon Davis is putting up some nice numbers of his own. His 12 touchdown catches are second only to Graham and he's on pace to record nearly 60 catches and more than 900 yards even though he missed a game earlier because of injury. San Francisco hosts Atlanta on Monday night and the Falcons have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to tight ends.
Even though the 49ers' defense has been tough, that doesn't mean that Tony Gonzalez won't have success against it. The future Hall of Famer has recorded a touchdown catch in three straight games and has once again produced a top-five fantasy season. Cleveland's Jordan Cameron is currently third behind Graham and Davis in fantasy points, but he sustained a concussion last week and will have to pass the required tests before he's cleared to play against the Jets. The matchup is definitely appealing (Jets allowing seventh-most fantasy points to TEs), but you need to make sure that Cameron is playing before leaving him in your lineup. Especially in a week with so much at stake.
If Cameron can't go, some potential replacement options for him could include Delanie Walker, Dennis Pitta, Tyler Eifert, Timothy Wright or even Zach Miller or Andrew Quarless. In Miller's case the Cardinals have surrendered 92 catches and 15 touchdowns to opposing tight ends this season, while Quarless has caught exactly six passes for 66 yards and a score in each of the past two games.
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2013 NFL Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings — Tight Ends
Rk | Player | Team | OPP |
1 | Jimmy Graham | NO | at CAR |
2 | Vernon Davis | SF | vs. ATL (Mon.) |
3 | Julius Thomas | DEN | at HOU |
4 | Jason Witten | DAL | at WAS |
5 | Greg Olsen | CAR | vs. NO |
6 | Tony Gonzalez | ATL | at SF (Mon.) |
7 | Jordan Cameron | CLE | at NYJ |
8 | Delanie Walker | TEN | at JAC |
9 | Charles Clay | MIA | at BUF |
10 | Antonio Gates | SD | vs. OAK |
11 | Martellus Bennett | CHI | at PHI |
12 | Dennis Pitta | BAL | vs. NE |
13 | Tyler Eifert | CIN | vs. MIN |
14 | Coby Fleener | IND | at KC |
15 | Heath Miller | PIT | at GB |
16 | Timothy Wright | TB | at STL |
17 | Zach Miller | SEA | vs. ARI |
18 | Garrett Graham | HOU | vs. DEN |
19 | Jared Cook | STL | vs. TB |
20 | Andrew Quarless | GB | vs. PIT |
Rankings are based upon Athlon Sports' standard scoring system:
OFFENSIVE SCORING
All touchdowns are 6 points
1 point for 25 yards passing
1 point for 10 yards rushing/receiving
Receptions are .5 points
Interceptions/fumbles are minus-2 points
Additional Week 16 Positional Rankings
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Defense/Special Teams
Kickers
