TE Required Leagues...good or bad?

[tecklc2112 7]

I have always played in a TE required leagues...There is such a disparity between the top few TE's and the rest though. I am thinking of making my main league non TE required this year. How do you all feel about this?

[G3-175SE 0]

I like the TE. With the exception the top couple you aren't going to get many pts but from time to time they do come through. Most people take AG and TG pretty early so that leaves a RB, WR or QB for someone else that may make a different. I think it evens everything out in the long run.

 

Of course some people use flex for TE/WR. I don't but some people like it for some reason. I say draft a TE, use a TE and let the chips fall where they may.

[Baby Jesus 0]

Ditkanate is the only true authority on this question.

 

1.1 Tony Gonzales

[Marshall_Law 0]

No TE takes away from the game IMO. I like the challenge of finding a good TE. If you want a top TE, then draft one early, but dont cop out because you don't want to take one early. Adds another dimension to the game that is a positive for competition.

[Saturday Night Beaver 2]

I like the TE. With the exception the top couple you aren't going to get many pts but from time to time they do come through. Most people take AG and TG pretty early so that leaves a RB, WR or QB for someone else that may make a different. I think it evens everything out in the long run.

 

Of course some people use flex for TE/WR. I don't but some people like it for some reason. I say draft a TE, use a TE and let the chips fall where they may.

[famousb 11]

i LOVE a girl with a nice tight end...

 

 

No TE takes away from the game IMO. I like the challenge of finding a good TE. If you want a top TE, then draft one early, but dont cop out because you don't want to take one early. Adds another dimension to the game that is a positive for competition.

 

i agree w/ the above.

this year moreso than many years in the past there also seems to be a good number of almost top-quality TEs available. With the exception of Gates & Gonz (who had a down year last year due to having to stay in & block) there are a few guys that all can be quite reliable (when not injured), and then there are a few who are also on the brink of possibly becoming a legit point scorer.

[Second Place Don't Pay 0]

Gonz (who had a down year last year due to having to stay in & block)

 

And this is why I don't like mandatory TE leagues. TEs can be an extra O-lineman or a skill player who threatens the middle of the field. In one league, we compensated for the lack of TE by having an OL, rewarded for first downs, total yards gained, and deductions for sacks allowed. This rewards TE's for both of their roles - moving the chains and blocking. It's worked out very well.

 

That said, you can, in this league, draft a TE and play him as a receiver. Gates is a receiver. Shockey is a receiver...

[Kitsnow 0]

and WR can't? I've seen Plaxico Burress block many a time.

TE's can get more points than some #3 wr's for some fantasy teams.

[gatorbait7391 0]

gotta love the TE!

[Jackson Biggs 0]

TE used to be atough position to fill 4 or 5 years ago, but it is so deep now that it is no different than any other position....it adds another dimension to someone's draft strategy...some people opt for Peyton over a RB, some people opt for TO over a 2nd tier RB, and some people will opt for Gates over a 2nd RB or 2nd flight WR...i think the athletic mold for a TE is a good thing for FF

[Parja 0]

There is such a disparity between the top few TE's and the rest though.

 

Actually, there's a lot MORE parity this year than in years past.

 

Gates

Gonzo

Shockey

Miller

Davis

Heap

Crumpler

Witten

Cooley

Clark

Winslow

McMichael

 

There's a full 12-team league worth of TEs who have potential to put up some respectable numbers.

[Let Da Big Dog Eat 40]

Not a fan of required TE. We lump them in with WR's. But, we do is give them 1 pt for every 10 yds vs WR getting 1 for every 20. Everyone is happy with this as it adds flexibility and stategy.

[Second Place Don't Pay 0]

and WR can't? I've seen Plaxico Burress block many a time.

TE's can get more points than some #3 wr's for some fantasy teams.

Yes, on a running play, or when he doesn't catch the ball, or on a bubble screen. TEs are taken out of the pattern to act as an additional lineman, typically blocking an end or blitzing backer. It's a TEs role to be an extra lineman - nobody (since Chris Carter tried to block Reggie White) keeps their receivers in to block on passing downs.

[D'ohmer Simpson 0]

No TE takes away from the game IMO. I like the challenge of finding a good TE. If you want a top TE, then draft one early, but dont cop out because you don't want to take one early. Adds another dimension to the game that is a positive for competition.

Seconded. The TE was always the "unknown surprise/disappointment" and what I mean by that was that the TE is usually a wildcard position. You pretty much know your other position players will score something (even if you go with 3 WR's) but the TE was a crapshoot. You just didn't know what you were going to get.

[Ace08 11]

I wouldn't play in a league WITHOUT a tight end. For those of you that play fantasy baseball it's the equivalent of the catcher position. It's a slot that can really offer you a tactical advantage if you gameplan correctly. Miss out on the top tier Wide Receivers? No problem....take Gates and augment him with some good receivers.....all of a sudden collectively, as a unit, your WR/TE's aren't too shabby.

[biscuitman357 0]

I usually don't mind the TE position in FF but when you make it a hybrid slot on top of the traditional TE slot, you kill depth in your league. Any WR/TE hybrid slot on top of the traditional TE slot, teams are going to fill with a WR. Outside of maybe 1 or 2 TEs, none of the TEs in the NFL are as safe a bet as running an addditional WR. That dries up all your WR depth in the league.

 

Adjusting points for TE is also a problem because it rewards the guy with the great TE, who is already being rewarded because so few TEs score decent points. It takes away the balance in a league.

 

Leagues would be better off with no true TE slot but a full hybrid TE/WR/RB slot

 

i.e.

 

QB

QB

WR

WR

RB

RB

WR/TE/RB

DEF

K

 

That way if you have a great TE like Gates, you can put him in your lineup and hes probably going to outproduce most of the FA WRs you could pick up. People without great TEs aren't forced to play them, they can take a chance on a lesser RB or WR (probably coming from the botton 25 percent of starters in the league).

[HawgWild 0]

My money league lumps TE with WR and I have tried for years to get the TE position made into it's own position but so far I have not gotten it passed... With more good TE's maybe it will get passed this year...

[ellisonb11 0]

i actually do like TE required leagues. its fun to follow TE's and try to pick a successful one for the season.

[deadmeat 0]

Was there not a thread on this board that had a list of what most thought to be a deep TE pool.

 

Gates

Gonzo

Shockey

Heap

Witten

Crumpler

McMichael...

 

Not in any particular order

 

While I do agree Gates then Gonzo have been Tier 1 TEs. Rivers will hurt Gates numbers and Gonzo numbers may be down like last year. It may bring them back to the pack with the rest. I think having a TE is a good thing and may not be as lopsided as some would think.

[G3-175SE 0]

My money league lumps TE with WR and I have tried for years to get the TE position made into it's own position but so far I have not gotten it passed... With more good TE's maybe it will get passed this year...

 

Yeah, I hate the flex TE/WR. At first I was willing to play them but now I only play in leagues with straight up TE. Flex ruins strategy. I consider it like the "Team QB" concept. It is great for those league with owners with limited FF knowledge but not for those that know what they are doing.

[Wildman 0]

I like the required TE leagues. As mentioned here already, it adds to the strategy of the draft. If you are shrewd you can often pick up a top 5 TE in the late rounds. But if you want the best chance to win your league, picking up the best one at the right time early in the draft is the way to go.

 

I think this year is going to be deceptively difficult. People will over analyze the Rivers-Gates connection in one direction or another. Gonzo in a new system could be limited a bit. People will draft Vernon Davis too high, etc.

[football_scooter 0]

1st off, this may be the gayest sub-title ever:

How do you feel about tight ends?

 

Now, on to the topic...

 

I think TE required adds depth and balance. Especially now that TEs are being used more and more offensively and there are potentially more than just 2 great ones....and the dropoffs between tiers smaller.

[ratbastard1 0]

Gotta have the TE slot.

[Let Da Big Dog Eat 40]

I really have to disagree with those that say "it adds more unpredicatability" as a reason to require a TE. I thought the idea of FF was to have a test of management ability.

 

That is precisely why we give more pts per yd for TE's and lump them with WR's. It increases the pool of WR's and adds another level of perspective to both drafting and managing.

 

And F*** the Flex. Anyone who is in a Flex league and does not realize that all it does is make RB's worth even more needs to pass the pipe.

[biscuitman357 0]

Having a dedicated TE slot and then adjusting the points for TEs is a sure way to unbalance your league.

 

1) If you force everyone to start a TE, you automatically have a disparity. Some teams will get the premiere tight ends and there are only going to be 3-4 consistent point producers, everyone else will be on and off. Changing the point value will only increase the disparity because teams with weak TEs can't start anyone else in that slot. So a Gates will go crazy and get a points bonus in a slot where hes already at an advantage

 

2) NFL teams that have premiere tight ends have crap/mediocre WR corps most of the time. Heap is great, but look at those Raven WRs. Gonzalez is a beast most of the time, but KC has a pretty geriatric WR unit. Gates is a monster, but outside of an aging McCardell, the Chargers really have no one. This only compounds the disparity. Those premiere TEs will get the bulk of the offense because the team doesn't have any more playmakers.

 

3) You throw off your draft. If you shift point values too far for TEs over WR point values, now you have teams considering taking a TE much earlier than his real FF value simply because the point system disparity makes him a good pick. The points system should promote balance, not foster holes where teams can shift the power in their FF league and the other teams have no remedy.

 

I think an argument would be, if you draft a TE early, that gives other teams a chance to draft other impact players to cover for the disparity. Except the disparity comes at hte cost of WR points, which many NFL teams could easily field 2-3 productive ones per game. Theres a larger pool of WRs thus a team with a great TE can still start good WRs, if he finds a few gems in FA, whereas a team without a good TE is stuck in a much smaller pool with fewer impact players.

[akareckas 0]

I have always played in a TE required leagues...There is such a disparity between the top few TE's and the rest though. I am thinking of making my main league non TE required this year. How do you all feel about this?

 

I prefer the TE requirement...adds another level of complexity to drafting...

[football_scooter 0]

And F*** the Flex. Anyone who is in a Flex league and does not realize that all it does is make RB's worth even more needs to pass the pipe.

 

Not if it's a PPR league. Then your 4th WR might be worth more than the scrub RB3 in your flex spot.

[football_scooter 0]

Having a dedicated TE slot and then adjusting the points for TEs is a sure way to unbalance your league.

 

1) If you force everyone to start a TE, you automatically have a disparity. Some teams will get the premiere tight ends and there are only going to be 3-4 consistent point producers, everyone else will be on and off. Changing the point value will only increase the disparity because teams with weak TEs can't start anyone else in that slot. So a Gates will go crazy and get a points bonus in a slot where hes already at an advantage

 

2) NFL teams that have premiere tight ends have crap/mediocre WR corps most of the time. Heap is great, but look at those Raven WRs. Gonzalez is a beast most of the time, but KC has a pretty geriatric WR unit. Gates is a monster, but outside of an aging McCardell, the Chargers really have no one. This only compounds the disparity. Those premiere TEs will get the bulk of the offense because the team doesn't have any more playmakers.

 

3) You throw off your draft. If you shift point values too far for TEs over WR point values, now you have teams considering taking a TE much earlier than his real FF value simply because the point system disparity makes him a good pick. The points system should promote balance, not foster holes where teams can shift the power in their FF league and the other teams have no remedy.

 

Pretty well disagree across the board.

1. disparity: not everyone uses some kooky scoring system that boosts TE value. My leagues all treat the position like a WR in terms of scoring. And while someone in your league is busy grabbing one of those elite TEs that you think gives them such a tremendous advantage, I'll point out that they are passing up on some top tier WR options to do so. So while true that they might be better than you at TE, you're likely to be better than them at WR1 or WR2 (depending). I've seen Gates go as high as 2.11 in drafts on this forum and in mocks, and at that spot you can take a Marvin Harrison/Lary Fitz type. Now who's got the advantage?

 

2. Derrick Mason is one of the most underrated WRs in football, and your post is evidence of it. You'rejust flat out wrong here. SD (Gates) has McCardell and KC has Kennison. In all 3 instances, there's a solid WR on the roster, and knowing those teams I know they all run a fairly balanced offense these days. KC's passing game used to go through TGonz, but SD's went through LT2 (100/1000+ not long ago). And again - most people who grab that TE in the late 2nd/early 3rd are doing so in place of a WR1, so I see no disparity here. You sacrifice one position to bolster another.

 

3. It's just an erroneous premise. You state that it creates a "hole" from which other teams cannot dig their way out. Tat it "throws off the draft" because teams take TEs higher than the "real FF value". When the fact is that the "hole" is curtailed by the fact that they're passing up on elite WRs to get that TE. so the "remedy" is to grab one of those elite WRs so you're that much better than they are at a different position.

 

And finally, welcome to 2006 - the year of the TE gaps narrowing to the point where unless you draft with idiots, most members of a 12 team league should be able to have an effective TE, even if not an "elite" option. The gap between the Gates/TGonz and the field has narrowed significantly. Off the top of my head, I can think of a good list of TEs who should be able to provide solid production at much later rounds...

 

Todd Heap (4th-6th)

Shockey (4th-6th)

Heath Miller (seen him go as late as 10th)

Vernon Davis (7th-9th)

Chris Cooley (5th-8th)

Soldja! (who knows, but not in the 1st 4 rounds)

Crumpler (4th-7th+)

Whitten (5th - 8th+)

LJ Smith (5th - 8th+)

McMichael (6th - 9th+)

 

 

With Gates & Gonz, that's 12 TEs right there, all of whom have a chance of being "elite".

 

so where's this great disparity you're crying about? I just don't see it.

[Dan 66]

You don't play the TE required for unprectability; you play it because it adds a position of strategy.

 

I have to laugh a little at the people who suggest that the TE should not be required because there only a few dominant ones, and that would throw off the balance. That argument is comical. If that is the reasoning, then one should not play FF at all. Are there not a few dominant RBs each year? Are there not a couple of truly dominant QBs, in general? Is there not normally a defense that separates itself? Or are there not receivers that separate themselves into a clear upper tier? But because the disparity is greater at tight end, there is angst against it? Please. That argument is really weak.

 

Eliminating the TE requirement is lazy, in my opinion, because it allows people who don't know the up-and-comers to ignore the TE position altogether (beyond the big names, of course). Likewise, it eliminates a strategy point through the course of the draft itself. Taking a premier TE means spending an early pick, typically much earlier than the run on TEs. Those who say the disparity is greater have to also recognize and concede that the disparity in drafting position is greater. That's balance and strategy. Taking a top flight TE early sacrifices something at another position, in the same way that taking the #1 QB sacrifices the possibility of a deadly RB-RB combo. No difference. People draft to the value they see, or the shape of the team that they want to create. Is the difference between Gates and the average tight end going to compensate for the fact that I won't have a stud WR to match my opponent's? Hmmm. This is a tough decision, but it's one more added element when the required TE is part of the league.

 

Okay, diatribe over.

[biscuitman357 0]

I SAID -

 

Having a dedicated TE slot and then adjusting the points for TEs is a sure way to unbalance your league.

 

 

I didn't say everyone adjusted points in their leagues for TE. I said those who do risk unbalancing their league.

 

 

What about the year Dante Hall absolutely went crazy for the first half of the season? I'm sure that forced plenty of leagues to reconsider how they scored return yardage. Having some kind of disparity in your scoring is a fast way to shift the balance in a FF league.

 

 

Take those tight ends listed and don't look at their season averages, look at their performance game to game. I think you'll often find a boom/bust situation except with the most elite of the TE pool.

[PTAKBuCS 0]

Nothing better than winning a game on a 1 yard Desmond Clark TD rec!!