Jermaine Gresham should be a big target for Bradford against BYU. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
It's tough to find a tight end that is going to catch passes and more importantly catch touchdowns. To prepare you for the first week of college football I have ranked the best tight ends based on how I expect them to perform. Some of these guys are going to have some big games so put them in your line-up and get ready to celebrate a week one victory. If you have any questions about your line-up for week one feel free to leave a comment and I will answer it.
Top Week 1 Starters:
1. Jermaine Gresham Oklahoma vs. BYU
2. Jason Harmon Florida Atlantic at Nebraska
3. Andrew Jones Missouri vs. Illinois
4. Garrett Graham Wisconsin vs. Northern Illinois
5. Cody Slate Marshall vs. Southern Illinois
6. Dennis Pitta BYU vs. Oklahoma
7. Rob Gronkowski Arizona vs. Central Michigan (May be held out the first week so watch this one closely)
8. Aaron Hernandez Florida vs. Charleston Southern
9. D.J. Williams Arkansas vs. Missouri St.
10. Ed Dickson Oregon at Boise St.
11. Mike McNeill Nebraska vs. Florida Atlantic
12. Jeffery Anderson UAB vs. Rice
13. Jonathan Massey Southern Miss vs. Alcorn st.
14. Taylor Wardlow Rice at UAB
15. Kyle Rudolph Notre Dame vs. Nevada
16. Jimmy Scheidler Bowling Green vs. Troy
17. Collin Franklin Iowa St. vs. North Dakota St.
18. Shamar Graves Rutgers vs. Cincinnati
19. Josh LeDuc Eastern Michigan vs. Army
20. Madaris Grant Ball St. vs. North Texas
21. Michael Hoomanawanui Illinois vs. Missouri
22. Ryan Moya UCLA vs. San Diego St.
23. Kyle Efaw Boise St. vs. Oregon
24. Richard Dickson LSU at Washington
Notable TE's not on the list:
Kyle Nelson New Mexico St. vs. Idaho - Too many questions about the offense to start Nelson this week
Charlie Gantt Michigan St. vs. Montana St. - Could have a good year for the Spartans but I am not sold yet
Ladarius Green Louisiana vs. Southern - Could be a factor later in the season but right now I don't think he is much of a threat
George Bryan N.C. State vs. South Carolina - I think South Carolina's defense is better than advertised
Weslye Saunders South Carolina at N.C. State - A very good tight end but can Garcia get him the ball?
Matt Stevens Western Michigan at Michigan - He is one to watch for later in the season with the pass happy offense at Western Michigan
Brandon Barden Vanderbilt vs. Western Carolina - Had a very solid 2008 season but the Vanderbilt offense scares me
Tony Moeki Iowa vs. Northern Iowa - Had an injury plagued season in 2008 so I am excited to see what he is capable of
Greg Boone Virginia Tech vs. Alabama - Tyrod Taylor has a hard enough time passing the ball and this week he tries to do that against Bama
Andrew George BYU vs. Oklahoma - George could be a good play later in the year against weaker opponents
Ben Wooster Wake Forest vs. Baylor - Could have a good game against Baylor but the offense will rely on the run even with Skinner returning
Dudley LaPorte FIU - BYE
Comments
There is a rumor going around that Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham sustained a knee injury and will be out for a few weeks. I don't know if this has been confirmed but you may want to take Gresham out of your line-up this week just to be safe.
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