NFL Draft Fantasy Fallout - Dustin Keller, Brad Cottam, Jermichael Finley

by Skeller on Jun 24, 2008 6:19 PM EDT in Football

They’re not a big part of fantasy football, but if one of them breaks out it can change your entire season. Here are a few rookie tight ends to keep an eye on.

With TE Chris Baker finishing as the Jets’ third best receiver last season, and the signing of Bubba Franks in the offseason, the Jets seemed to be set at tight end. Nope, they went and drafted Dustin Keller (30^th overall) in the first round instead. I don't know why they drafted him, but at least we can expect to see Keller get a lot of playing time.

Considering the Chiefs already have a pretty good TE in Tony what’s-his-name, there doesn’t seem to be much chance a rookie TE is going to get any playing time. Since Brad Cottam (76^th overall) is a hulking 6’8" and 277 lbs, it might be hard to keep him off the field. Kansas City had a much needed clean-out this off-season and the roster is full of WRs you’ve never heard of. Actually, it’s full of WRs the KC coaching staff has never heard of. The only guy worth mentioning is Dwayne Bowe, and Cottom is a full half-foot taller than he is. Sure, it’s a long shot (Cottam was injured a LOT in college) but it’s not impossible that he could see some playing time, especially in the red zone.

The Packers only have Donald Lee and Tory Humphrey on their roster at tight end right now and new QB Aaron Rodgers is expected to need a safety-valve receiver he’s comfortable with. Is Jermichael Finley (98^th overall) that safety-valve? The Packers drafted Finley at least a round earlier than he was projected, so they must have plans for him. You would think.