Free agency: Tight end impacts
Then came guys like Antonio Gates, Kellen Winslow, Jr. and Dallas Clark who revolutionized production at the position. No longer are tight ends primarily blockers who may haul in the occasional pass: some of them often outperform No. 1 wideouts in the league on a weekly basis.
As always, I'll only look at the most prominent players who have some kind of chance to make a fantasy impact (if you want an example of who I won't discuss, take Ben Hartsock; he's been in the league for three years and has yet to catch a touchdown pass. Do we understand each other? Good.)
Are any of the guys I listed below in any position to make that impact? Let's find out.
Anthony Becht signs with the Rams
Becht's best days came early in his career when he totaled 16 touchdowns and more than 1,000 receiving yards in his first four years of pro ball.
Fantasy impact: Becht has been reliable if nothing else: he's seen action in all 16 games of every season since 2000. The problem is he hasn't produced a great deal since those first four years of his career. The Rams are certainly a more capable offense than the Jets or Bucs, but they haven't really been using their tight end much in recent offensive schemes.
Becht is nothing more than a No. 3 tight end going into preseason.
Alge Crumpler signs with the Titans
Hey, what do you know? The Titans signed Crumpler away from Atlanta, and the Falcons signed the aforementioned Hartsock away from Tennessee. It's not difficult to figure out which team got the better end of the deal.
Crumpler was drafted in 2001 and spent his entire career in Atlanta before signing with Tennessee. Last year, he posted his lowest receiving yardage total since 2002, but you can safely blame Atlanta's poor quarterbacking for that mishap.
Fantasy impact: He's been one of the most consistent weapons the Falcons have had, catching five or more total touchdown passes in five of his last six seasons. As I have mentioned elsewhere, Crumpler is certainly used to playing in an offense which doesn't feature a great passing quarterback. With the lack of threats at wide receiver, Crumpler could instantly become the team's biggest offensive weapon.
For now though, consider him a No. 2 tight end. Tennessee's offense is downright horrific until they prove otherwise.
Bubba Franks signs with the Jets
Remember when this guy was one of the best tight ends in the league? In 2001, he had 332 receiving yards and nine scores. He followed that up in 2002 with 442 yards and seven touchdowns. He was once a legitimate top-three guy at the position.Fantasy impact: Franks' glory days are long-gone. He's got a total of 571 yards and four touchdowns in his last three seasons (he even went scoreless in 2006). And he'll be moving to an offense, which also has its own quarterbacking issues. The good news is the Jets did a lot to upgrade their offensive line, but Franks may just be too old to contribute enough to be a real fantasy factor.
Ben Troupe signs with the Buccaneers
I watched Troupe extensively as he came out of college (Florida). He really had off-the-charts athleticism and a great ability to use his physique to shield the ball and make plays in secondaries. In the 2004 draft, I thought he was the second-best tight end behind Winslow, but only barely.Troupe hasn't made nearly as big of an impact in the pros as he did in school. He played in 16 games last year, but started only two of them and finished with five total receptions (and no touchdowns). His best year came in 2005 when he caught for 540 yards and four touchdowns.
Fantasy impact: Maybe a change of scenery will help, and he'll certainly benefit from having a veteran quarterback like Jeff Garcia throwing him the ball. I'm not sure if he'll match his 2005 stats, but I don't think 400 receiving yards and three scores is too much to expect from him.
Ben Utecht signs with the Bengals
Utecht has never been a big scorer (only one touchdown in his last two seasons). He has been able to post some decent yardage though, with 377 and 364 coming in 2006 and 2007, respectively. He somehow found that production with Clark on the roster, but of course, it always helps when Peyton Manning is your quarterback.Fantasy impact: Unfortunately, the tight end position has never been a big part of Cincinnati's schemes, and Utecht is not really the kind of guy who will come in and change that. The Bengals have had plenty of failed experiments at the position, though, so don't expect much to come of this signing. A great season for Utecht would be 250 yards and two scores, but count on about half that much, realistically.
I'll hit up the IDP guys next to wrap up the previews.
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