Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings: TE

This is the season to be thankful. And if you've got a healthy and viable fantasy tight end to do battle with this weekend, you can be a little extra thankful. With the list of healthy names depleting by the week and a majority of the big names done for the season, it's become a predicament for many owners. However, one thing that can be said is that it's evened the playing field a little. It's a weekly battle on the waiver wires for next best thing and matchups.

Let's face it, when healthy there is a huge talent gap between Antonio Gates and the rest of the field. Yet, all indications are Gates will again be a game-time decision. That leaves our top dog once again as Jacob Tamme. Yes, Tamme has been good enough to great for owners seeking refuge from the Dallas Clark injury, but let's not kid ourselves; he's not Clark and he's not Gates. That said, he's still just fine to get the job done against the Chargers this weekend and lead the way for the tight end position.

As for the rest of the ranks...

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1. Jacob Tamme, IND (vs. SD)
2. Aaron Hernandez, NE (at DET)
3. Brandon Pettigrew, DET (vs. NE)
4. Dustin Keller, NYJ (vs. CIN)
5. Jason Witten, DAL (vs. NO)
6. Todd Heap, BAL (vs. TB)
7. Chris Cooley, WAS (vs. MIN)
8. Joel Dreessen, HOU (vs. TEN)
9. Rob Gronkowski, NE (at DET)
10. Antonio Gates, SD (at IND)*
11. Tony Gonzalez, ATL (vs. GB)
12. Vernon Davis, SF (at ARI)*
13. Jermaine Gresham, CIN (at NYJ)
14. Kevin Boss, NYG (vs. JAC)
15. Visanthe Shiancoe, MIN (at WAS)
16. Marcedes Lewis, JAC (at NYG)
17. Benjamin Watson, CLE (vs. CAR)
18. Zach Miller, OAK (vs. MIA)
19. Kellen Winslow, TB (at BAL)
20. Heath Miller, PIT (at BUF)
21. Jimmy Graham, NO (at DAL)
22. Greg Olsen, CHI (vs. PHI)
23. Bo Scaife, TEN (at HOU)
24. Brent Celek, PHI (at CHI)
25. Anthony Fasano, MIA (at OAK)

*Be sure to check on the status of both Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis. For Gates owners you may want to have a solid plan B, as Randy McMichael is also injured and he laid an egg on MNF. For Davis owners the backup is Delanie Walker. Again, proceed with caution.

• For the record I like either Patriots tight end (Gronkowski or Hernandez) a lot on Thursday. I think both could score in this one and have plenty of production. The feeling here would be that Hernandez reaps the yards, but Gronkowski has the best chance in the red zone. Either way, I expect Brady to look for both early and often.

• The more I doubt Brandon Pettigrew, the more viable he becomes. As a Gates owner in severe need of a boost, I'm going with Pettigrew on Thursday and I feel more comfortable going this route than playing the wait-and-see game with Gates. Pettigrew continues to be right up there with Calvin Johnson in targets with Shaun Hill under center. Yes, he's had some dropped passes, but he produces modest lines each week. I'll take it.

• Joel Dreessen finally got it going last week and he looks to pick up the role that Owen Daniels has left vacant. Lord knows the Texans need an additional boost and safety valve for Matt Schaub on offense. And yes, they could use it on defense as well. Either way, Dreessen is another good bet to have a solid day on Sunday against the fading Titans.

• Greg Olsen is a polarizing option this week. In one theory he should dominate an Eagles defense that's known for giving it up to opposing tight ends. And Olsen has scored a TD in two of his last three games. However, I'm just not buying it this week. Certainly you can do much worse than Olsen, but my gut says he lays a dud this weekend.

• If you're looking for a semi-sleeper it's gotta be Kevin Boss. Yes, not much of a reach, but you know the drill. The Giants are down to signing guys off the street to play receiver for them. They face the Jags and Boss appears in line for a solid fantasy day. Do with this what you will, but I'm banking on at least 60 yards and a TD.