Week Nine fantasy tips: TEs

Week Nine brings the following teams on byes: Panthers, Lions, Jaguars, and Vikings. That means you lose TEs Greg Olsen and Brandon Pettigrew. Plan accordingly.

Check the status of Bengals TE Jermaine Gresham (hamstring), who missed the Week Eight game at Seattle and didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday. Gresham, who has caught three TD passes this season, is a viable spot starter in bigger leagues when healthy, though his status for Sunday is unclear as of this writing. He has a matchup he can exploit if he's able get on the field against the Titans.

Steelers TE Heath Miller was targeted a season-high nine times in Week Eight, catching seven passes for 85 yards. Overall, he's made the most of his opportunities this season, catching 30 passes for 361 yards and two TDs in 40 targets. Both of his TDs have come in the last four weeks to coincide with QB Ben Roethlisberger's improved play. Miller makes a start only in large leagues as he is facing one of the league's better defenses in the Ravens.

Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Texans WR Andre Johnson's missed time has been teammate TE Joel Dreessen, who has a touchdown catch in the three of the past four games. Dreessen will never be a household name, nor will his speed or athleticism ever stand out, but clearly he is a guy whom QB Matt Schaub trusts right now. Houston has featured a lot more two-TE sets without Johnson, and Dreessen has found the endzone as many times as Owen Daniels (three) and has a higher average yards per reception (17.2). He has a tough assignment this week as the Browns are a top-10 team in fewest fantasy points allowed to the TE position.

Chargers TE Antonio Gates is rounding into health, once again showing why he's one of the better tight ends in the league. Gates tied for a the team lead in Week Eight with seven targets and hauled in four passes for 73 yards. With the Bolts missing some key starters and the Packers having issues defending opposing tight ends, Gates could see even more throws coming his way this week and is a top-three fantasy tight end.

Make sure you start Vernon Davis this Sunday as he's a No. 1 fantasy tight end. At times overshadowed by Delanie Walker, who has made his presence felt at Davis' expense, Davis is due for a big game. Just so happens he'll be facing a Redskins defense that gave up a pair of TDs last week to TE Scott Chandler and is bottom-10 at defending opposing tight ends over the past four weeks.

Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/11/03/week-nine-fantasy-tips-tes-3

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