Empty the Bench

Ranks Preview by Brian Spencer

Owen Daniels picked a great time to bail on me and the rest of his owners.

The top-scoring tight end in fantasy football left the game very early in the Texans’ 31-10 win over the Buffalo Bills last Sunday. He’d caught 1 pass for 22 yards and was probably on his way to the kind of big afternoon we’ve grown accustomed to this year. Unfortunately, hopes for a minor injury proved hopeless as Daniels was later diagnosed with a torn ACL that requires surgery and ends his season. He finishes with 40 catches for 519 yards and 5 TDs; meanwhile, steady production from the TE spot on one of my fantasy teams looks finished too.

My replacement options? Green Bay’s Jermichael Finley would normally be an agreeable solution, but he’s battling a knee sprain and seems unlikely to play this week. New York’s Dustin Keller is on bye. That leaves me digging deep into the scrap pile like a desperate vulture picking at a bone-dry carcass. Dante Rosario, Daniel Graham, Sean Ryan, Brandon Pettigrew… yeah. It’s looking pretty bleak.

Dallas Clark Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Meanwhile, expect Dallas Clark to take over the top overall spot at the TE position this week. As we’ve noted before, the Houston Texans secondary would rather not take away the seams down the middle of the field, and that just happens to be where Clark does a lot of his damage. Don’t forget this is the defense that allowed Vernon Davis to catch 7 passes for 93 yards and 3 TDs.

See also:
- Week 9 QB Rankings
- Week 9 RB Rankings
- Week 9 WR Rankings
- Week 9 DEF Rankings

1. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts vs. HOU
2. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers vs. TEN
3. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers @ NYG
4. Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles vs. DAL
5. Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans Saints vs. CAR
6. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons vs. WSH
7. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys @ PHI
8. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers @ DEN
9. John Carlson, Seattle Seahawks vs. DET
10. Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay Bucs vs. GB
11. Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears vs. ARZ
12. Fred Davis, Washington Redskins @ ATL
13. Todd Heap, Baltimore Ravens @ CIN
14. Tony Scheffler, Denver Broncos vs. PIT
15. Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots vs. MIA
16. Kevin Boss, New York Giants vs. SD (Check Status)
17. Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions @ SEA
18. Daniel Graham, Denver Broncos vs. PIT