Making a List: Backup Tight Ends

Ryan McDowell Posted On August 4, 2012

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I’m a list guy. I make “to do” lists, follow “honey do” lists, and will take time to read a top ten list of almost anything. This series of articles will bring you a top five ranking about a myriad of topics in the world of dynasty football.

As dynasty owners, it’s relatively easy to manage the top of our rosters. An average team has a couple of every week starters, a few solid starters and several borderline starting level/depth players. Managing the bottom of your roster often takes more effort and attention as the news and opinions on these players are not always as mainstream as the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Arian Foster and Calvin Johnson. In the next few installments of Making a List, I will take a deeper look at backup players who are worth owning, or at least monitoring, in your dynasty league.

Over the past few years, we have all witnessed the drastic changes in the role the tight end plays in an offense. The most successful and high scoring offenses often use the tight end as an additional wide receiver, no matter where they line up. In fact, we just had an extensive look at the change in our premium installment entitled, “Paradigm Shift: Rise of the Tight Ends, Collapse of the Wide Receivers” earlier this week.

Unlike quarterbacks and running backs, it is rare that a backup tight end will step in for an injured starter and see great success. If a starting tight end is injured and misses significant time, more often than not, the head coach and offensive coordinator will make changes with the offensive play calls rather than rely on the backup tight end to produce the same statistics.

Instead, the backup tight ends who eventually find success are usually young players who are backing up a veteran or players who take a year to learn their role on an offense. The Saints Jimmy Graham is an example of this. He played sparingly early in his rookie season, but was used more and more as he became comfortable with the offense and it was clear by the end of his rookie season that he was very talented.

With this in mind, we will focus on five young tight ends in today’s installment. Some will have to bide their time as they are sitting behind a veteran starter, while some just need to prove to their team they are ready for a larger role.

Here are five backup tight ends to own in your dynasty league, chosen due to one (or both) of the reasons listed above.

1. ) Tony Moeaki, TE KC

Moeaki had a very solid rookie season in 2010, but when his 2011 season ending injury left the team exposed at the tight end, the Chiefs had no choice but to add a quality tight end to the roster. The team signed Kevin Boss after the rival Oakland Raiders released him. Boss has previously started for the Raiders as well as the New York Giants. Boss has been solid but unspectacular throughout his career and currently sits atop the Kansas City depth chart. If Moeaki can prove he is fully recovered from his ACL tear, be has a great chance to retain the starting job. Even if he remains the backup, he will be the primary receiver among the two tight ends and has the most dynasty value when compared to Boss.

2.) Rob Housler, TE ARI

In 2011, Housler’s rookie season, he garnered little playing time despite his third round draft status and the positive reports throughout training camp. Housler played behind veteran Todd Heap and recorded only twelve receptions for 133 yards. Now, heading into the 2012 season, there are reports the Cardinals plan to heavily incorporate the tight end into the passing game plan. The team is also expected to use more two tight end sets, as is the current trend around the league. Housler earned much of the work during OTAs and his speed would make him the best option to be the primary receiver at the tight end position.

3.) Jordan Cameron, TE CLE

Another sophomore tight end expecting a larger role in the offense is Jordan Cameron in Cleveland. Like Housler, Cameron is also a speed tight end who was taken in the mid rounds of the 2011 draft, but Cameron’s playing time last season was even more limited. He appeared in only eight games, hauling in six passes for 33 yards on the season. Even with those modest numbers, some fantasy football owners and Cleveland Browns fans are expecting Cameron to make a name for himself this year. The OTA reports on Cameron were positive, but he is facing a tough road as he is behind not only starter Ben Watson, but also athletic reserve Evan Moore. The historically poor passing offense is another negative mark on Cameron’s dynasty value, but if he is able to eclipse both Watson and Moore, Cameron’s value will skyrocket.

4.) Ladarius Green, TE SD

Green was chosen by the Chargers in the fourth round of the 2012 draft and thanks to his speed and athleticism, he was instantly tabbed by many as the future replacement for star tight end Antonio Gates. Green is big (6’6”) and fast (he ran a 4.44 4o yard dash), but is a poor blocker. Coming from a small school, Green has been labeled as raw and like all rookies, he has plenty to learn about the NFL game. Playing behind Gates as well as veteran Randy McMichael, Green will likely not play much of a role this season. If you have the space to stash him on your dynasty roster, he may pay off big in 2013.

5.) Taylor Thompson, TE TEN

One of the most interesting tight end prospects among this current rookie class is Titans fifth rounder Taylor Thompson. He played defensive end for Southern Methodist, but made the switch to tight end beginning with the college post season all star games. Through limited play at the position, Thompson has already drawn acclaim for his natural pass catching ability and general athleticism. Like many on this list and many of today’s most successful players at the position, Thompson is big and fast. At 6’6”, he posted a 4.56 40 yard dash and has drawn comparisons to the Saints Jimmy Graham and Patriots Rob Gronkowski. Although he will be behind starter Jared Cook on the depth chart this season, the Titans have never seemed to be fully committed or sold on Cook as a significant part of their offense. If Thompson continues to impress, he could steal snaps from Cook by the end of the season.

Just missed: Michael Egnew, MIA; Luke Stocker, TB; Tony Scheffler, DET

In the next Making a List, I’ll focus on the backup running backs.

Follow Ryan McDowell on Twitter @RyanMc23

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Ryan McDowell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his senior leadership role here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and PE teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the Kitchen Sink Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value.