1. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
As the No. 1 fantasy tight end this season, Graham has continually found himself in similar articles both on eDraft and around the Internet world, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he finds himself atop this list. Now take into account that he's going up against a 31st-ranked Dallas Cowboys defense against fantasy tight ends and you have the makings for a ridiculous fantasy performance.
Add into the equation the fact that Cowboys' defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is a bit old school when it comes to adjusting to opposing star players and there is a strong likelihood that Dallas will put linebackers and safeties up against Graham, not either Brandon Carr or Morris Claiborne. That's a recipe for disaster.
Projected Statistics: Eight receptions, 130 yards and two touchdowns
2. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers
At this point, it really doesn't matter who Davis goes up against. He's going to get a ton of targets from Colin Kaepernick until Mario Manningham, who is slated to play this week, returns at 100 percent and Michael Crabtree plays on Sundays. Until then, Davis is San Francisco's most electric receiving threat. No matter how good Luke Kuechly is in coverage, Davis represents a ridiculous matchup advantage here. In addition, Mike Mitchell simply isn't going to be able to go up against him one-on-one when Kuechly is forced to shadow Kaepernick.
As it is, Carolina ranks in the middle of the pack against fantasy tight ends. That's not exactly a mismatch in favor of the road team.
Projected Statistics: Six receptions, 110 yards and one touchdown
3. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Witten should eat some gumbo this weekend in New Orleans. He might be going up against a Saints defense that has played well against fantasy tight ends (fourth-least points), but the likes of Malcolm Jenkins and Curtis Lofton, or whatever linebacker is lined up against Witten, don't necessarily stand much of a chance.
The Pro Bowl tight end has also quietly found himself among the top-five fantasy tight end through nine weeks and is coming off an eight-receptions, 102-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Minnesota Vikings. Expect the same type of production here.
Projected Statistics: Seven receptions, 85 yards and one touchdown
4. Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins
As one of the most consistently good rookies on the offensive side of the ball, Reed has taken over for Fred Davis as the Redskins' No. 1 tight end, and he's making his impact felt. The Florida product has put up 21 receptions for 261 yards over the course of the last three games and is the second-ranked fantasy tight end in the NFL over the course of the last four weeks. Washington is now going up against a Minnesota Vikings defense that has yielded the fifth-most fantasy points to tight ends this season.
Projected Statistics: Six receptions, 80 yards and one touchdown
5. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Why not? Gates has been an absolute stud this year and is having somewhat of a bounce-back campaign. He's the seventh-ranked fantasy tight end through nine weeks and has put up a minimum of four receptions in each of his last seven games. The primary reason that Gates isn't ranked any higher is due to the fact that he's only reached the end zone twice. That should change against a Denver Broncos defense that is yielding over 80 receiving yards and 0.5 touchdowns per game to opposing tight ends.
Projected Statistics: Six receptions, 75 yards and one touchdown