Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

As you prepare for your fantasy football draft it is always best to formulate a strategy. You should start the day with a specific plan of attack, but you must always be prepared to adjust your strategy based on how players are being drafted. If you go into a draft thinking that you are going get the best players at every position, you are either a) delusional or b) in a very weak league.

Since you stand no real chance of landing a squad consisting of the likes of Drew Brees, Adrian Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald, etc., you should always be prepared with potential sleepers at every position. A sleeper of course is a player that other owners in your league may overlook and that you can get at a good value, who winds up exceeding expectations and even at times, matching the top players from his position. Finding a sleeper at one or more positions is very important to one’s fantasy football success.

When it comes to the tight end position, where there seems to be a decent drop after the handful of elite players go off the board, many fantasy owners will reach for their tight end early. However, there seems to be more and more offensive tight ends breaking out each season, meaning you can find very productive tight ends in the middle-to-late rounds of a fantasy football draft. The Bruno Boys are here to help you in doing that by providing you with our annual sleeper rankings, or as we like to call them, the 2009 Bruno Boys Tight End “Snooze Alarm” Rankings.

Ranking System: The higher the “Snooze Alarm” Ranking, the more sleeper value the player has.

Brent Celek (Philadelphia Eagles) - In 2008, Brent Celek had 27 receptions for 318 yards with one touchdown, which means if you are looking solely at the numbers, like many fantasy owners do, he is not going to wow you. But, luckily the Bruno Boys have taught you that you need to look at the overall body of work and how a player progresses as the season rolls along.

Celek did not start the season on anyone’s radar, as a matter of fact, some of the most hard core fantasy footballers didn’t even know who he was. Injuries, though, to the Eagles starting tight end L.J. Smith forced the Eagles to expand Celek’s role in the offense and when given the chance Celek shined. Week 9 of the regular season is a perfect example of this when Celek took advantage of Smith being sidelined with an injury to post 131 receiving yards against the Seattle Seahawks, his best game of the season.

Celek continued to shine offensively for the Eagles in the playoffs as well. In three playoff games, he posted 19 receptions for 151 yards with three touchdowns, leading the team in receptions and touchdowns. Celek will look for his playoff success to carry over into the 2009 season. The Eagles have so much faith in Celek that they let veteran L.J. Smith leave via free agency as he signed with the Baltimore Ravens. With an expanded role and improvements to the team’s overall offense, Celek looks primed to have a breakout year at tight end. He will likely finish the season as a low-end TE1 that should be available in the later rounds of fantasy drafts well after the top tight ends have come off the board.

SNOOZE ALARMS: 4 ALARMS

Greg Olsen (Chicago Bears) - Greg Olsen showed a nice improvement in offensive production in his second year in the NFL when he had 54 receptions for 574 yards with five touchdowns in 2008. He was a little inconsistent early in the season, but came on strong in December when he had three of his five touchdowns. Olsen finished second on the Bears in receptions and receiving yardage. His five receiving touchdowns were a team best.

Look for Olsen to once again improve on his offensive numbers in 2009, especially with the addition of Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler, who was acquired in a trade with the Denver Broncos for draft picks and last season’s Bears starting quarterback Kyle Orton. Cutler is an upgrade at quarterback from Orton and should provide a boost to the Bears passing game.

Olsen should be available in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts as a TE1 after the top handful of tight ends have come off the board.

SNOOZE ALARMS: 3 ALARMS

John Carlson (Seattle Seahawks) - 2008 is a year the Seattle Seahawks would like to forget, especially from an offensive standpoint. Tight end John Carlson. though, was the lone bright spot on an offense that was ravaged with injuries. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck missed a good portion of the season with nagging injuries as did most of the Seahawks receiving core. Carlson who was a rookie out of Notre Dame had 55 receptions for 627 yards with five touchdowns and led the team in all three statistical categories. Carlson’s numbers could have been better, but with little help on offense, teams focused on shutting him down as the season went on.

With Hasselbeck expected to start the season healthy along with wide receivers Deion Branch and Nate Burleson returning to the line-up, Carlson should have much more help this season and more room to roam, especially since the Seahawks also went out and signed wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh from Cincinnati. The additional help on offense should allow Carlson to draw single coverage again, which should improve his overall numbers.

Carlson should be considered a low-end TE1 available in the mid-to-late rounds of drafts.

SNOOZE ALARMS: 2 ALARMS

Zach Miller (Oakland Raiders) - Heading into his third season in the NFL, Zach Miller appears ready to breakout. He had 56 receptions for 778 yards with one touchdown in 2008 for a Raiders team that finished the season 5-11 and struggled offensively. Those numbers should improve as quarterback, JaMarcus Russell, who loves throwing to Miller, now, has one full season under his belt as a starter. Plus, if Russell struggles out of the gate at all this season, the Raiders have a competent veteran back-up in Jeff Garcia, whom the Raiders signed as a free agent, ready to take over.

The Raiders also looked to improve their offense through the draft when they selected University of Maryland wide out Darrius Heyward-Bey with the seventh overall pick in the first round. The pick of Heyward-Bey was a little controversial considering higher rated receivers like Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree and Missouri’s Jeremy Maclin were still available, but Heyward-Bey is a burner who can stretch the field and should open up room for Miller to work the middle of the field.

If the Raiders can find more consistency in their offense look for Miller to improve on his reception and touchdown totals in 2009. This will make him a valuable TE1 who should still be on the board in the middle of the draft after the top tight ends are gone.

SNOOZE ALARMS: 1 ALARM

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See More ‘09 SLEEPERS:  QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DEF

See More ‘09 BUSTS:  QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DEF

Cheat Sheet RANKINGS:  QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DEF

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GET YOUR COMMISH KIT DRAFT BOARD NOW

The Bruno Boys have once again teamed up with Commish Kit to sell their fantasy football draft boards. In fact, the 2009 draft boards are available for purchase and you can pick one up by clicking here… http://brunoboys.commishkitstore.com.

Remember to spread the word and get your DRAFT KIT today!

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Also, don’t forget to head over to our Fantasy Football Message Board and sign-up for a FORUM account. By doing so you will be able to talk fantasy football all season long.