Fantasy Football Week 16 Rankings: TE

We're down to the slim pickings in a year when injuries have plagued the fantasy tight end position. Where are all the elite names? I'm sitting at home this week thanks to being ravaged by the Antonio Gates injury. That doesn't mean I won't congratulate those that made it to the final week. You were smart, you had a backup plan. And perhaps, you were just lucky by holding on to the last man standing.

The last man standing this weekend should be none other than Jason Witten. Arguably one of the few, if not the last, great tight end left on the field. The impact we thought of Jon Kitna taking over hasn't hurt Witten one bit. He's regained his form and been arguably one of the few consistently reliable options left. Yes, you may catch lightning in a bottle from a lucky snag off the waiver wire. However, I'm saying don't tempt the fates and enjoy the benefits if you're lucky enough to own Witten. He's gonna pounce on the Cardinals on Christmas.

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

• It's a coin-flip weekend for the Patriots tight ends. The Bills are horrible at stopping the opposing tight end, so you've gotta feel safe using either guy. My guess is since Hernandez had the big game last weekend, that could only mean Gronkowski delivers this weekend. You should be safe either way, but keep note of how these two seem to alternate.

• So, I said to back off the Kevin Boss bandwagon and he proved me wrong. Well, again I'm telling you -- I'm just not buying into him. Sure, the Packers were burned at the tight end spot in Foxborough last Sunday night, but I don't anticipate that happening again this weekend. Don't expect Boss to pull out a performance like Aaron Hernandez.

• Jimmy Graham just continues to flourish. Where is Jeremy Shockey? Who cares, Graham is Brees' guy now and he's bordering on elite territory and that's based on skill and/or somewhat due to the depletion of the position. Regardless, I like Graham to score again on MNF and produce decent yardage totals.

• Do we have an "APB" on Dustin Keller's fantasy career? He's been a ghost for the long haul of the season and really, it's pretty much useless even considering giving him another whirl. I just wanted to clarify that for anyone desperate enough to start him this week.

• If you're in a deep league or just trying for a miracle sleeper (and love to gamble), go with Jermaine Gresham this weekend. He's facing the Chargers (who have been red hot on defense), but they are still suspect against tight ends. I think Gresham finds the end zone. Good luck.