Empty the Bench

Welcome back, Tony Scheffler. You were missed.

A relatively under-the-radar fantasy darling for the past two seasons in Denver while Jay Cutler was still under center, the fourth-year tight end’s stock took a major dip on draft day this year. The reliably solid Cutler had been shipped to Chicago, and in his place was the reliably unreliable Kyle Orton, not to mention a new coaching staff and new offensive scheme. Not an ideal situation for Scheffler, who on average fell all the way to the late-14th round in most Yahoo! drafts… if he was drafted at all.

For the first 5 weeks of the season, his predicted demise became reality with the 6-5 Western Michigan alumnus hauling in just 10 catches for 116 yards and 1 TD. It was a different story against the thin San Diego Chargers secondary on Monday, as Scheffler broke out for 6 catches, 101 yards, and a brilliant touchdown grab along the sideline that was all fingertips and concentration. In The Year of the Tight End, it was one of the finest catches you’ll see at the position all season.

The undefeated Broncos are on bye this week, but keep Scheffeler in mind if you’re in need of a plug-in play starting Week 8 at Baltimore. There’s no telling whether Monday’s performance is a firm indicator of future success, or whether it’s a fluke for a still-unpredictable offense, but all things equal we feel this guy has top-10 TE talent. Now it’s on Orton and OC Mike McCoy to keep utilizing it.

See also:
- Week 7 QB Rankings
- Week 7 RB Rankings
- Week 7 WR Ranks
- Week 7 DEF Rankings

1. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts @ STL
2. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers @ KC
3. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans vs. SF
4. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys vs. ATL (Don’t let us down)
5. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. MIN
6. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons @ DAL
7. Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles @ WSH
8. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers @ HOU
9. Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins vs. PHI
10. Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans Saints @ MIA (Check Status)
11. Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings @ PIT
12. Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears @ CIN
13. Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay Bucs vs. NE (In London)
14. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers @ CLE
15. Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders vs. NYJ
16. Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots vs. TB
17. Kevin Boss, New York Giants vs. ARZ
18. Dustin Keller, New York Jets @ OAK
19. Donald Lee, Green Bay Packers @ CLE
20. Sean Ryan, Kansas City Chiefs vs. SD

Possibly Related Content:

1. Fantasy Football – Week 13 TE Rankings


2. Fantasy Football – Week 3 TE Rankings


3. Fantasy Football – Week 11 TE Rankings


4. Fantasy Football – Week 12 TE Rankings


5. Fantasy Football – Week 10 TE Rankings