Word to the Winners: Fantasy Football Advice

2006 NFL Free Agent Tight Ends and Kickers -- By Russ Bliss

Believe it or not the available free agents at the kicker position are better than what's out there at tight end. It's a pretty good year to get a top of the line kicker, while the TE's lack any luster. But we must start somewhere and the TE's will be it.

The recent decision by the Denver Broncos to release Jeb Putzier from his contract and make him an unrestricted free agent certainly helped this free agent class. Putzier immediately steps in as the top free agent tight end available as the rest of the class is mediocre at best; littered with only a couple of guys who could possibly surprise, but for the most part are just re-hashing of mediocre tight ends already on other rosters.

1) Jeb Putzier (unrestricted, Denver): The Broncos cut him loose and someone looking for a competent pass catching tight end will likely pick him up and hope he's as good as he looked two years ago.

2) Chris Baker (unrestricted, New York Jets): For 4 years we've heard about Baker's unrealized potential. Now some other team will get to realize the futility of trying to find it as well. Perhaps that's being too harsh, but Baker's had his chances and has only flashed visions of great abilities a couple of times. But him being ranked #2 in the class should tell you al you need to know about the caliber of players we're looking at.

3) Zach Hilton (restricted, New Orleans): Hilton is a mammoth sized TE at 6'8", 268 lbs. He got a chance to show off some good skills in 2005 and while still not refined, he could be the next big sleeper TE that comes out of nowhere. But as a restricted free agent he's not likely to go anywhere.

4) Aaron Shea (unrestricted, Cleveland): Has shown he's capable as a pass catcher, but hasn't really gotten a chance to be the #1. He'll go somewhere and compete for a starting job, but just doesn't appear likely to really take his game up to the level necessary to be a great starting TE.

5) Robert Royal (unrestricted, Washington): Royal got lost on a team that used the H-Back position more in their offense than the traditional TE. He's got some skills and could be a good pass catcher, but isn't a complete TE and likely ends up as part of a TE rotation somewhere.

Other notables: Dan Campbell (unrestricted, Dallas); Brandon Manumaleuna (unrestricted, St. Louis); Will Heller (restricted, Miami); Ryan Hannam (unrestricted, Seattle); Matt Schobel (unrestricted, Cincinnati); George Wrighster (restricted, Jacksonville).

As for teams looking for TE's? Basically, everyone except San Diego, Kansas City, Dallas, Washington, New England, Tennessee, Miami, Atlanta, Indianapolis, NY Giants, and Baltimore are looking for a good TE.

The kicker list is more impressive and boasts two of the top kickers from recent seasons.

1) Adam Vinatieri (unrestricted, New England): A former Super Bowl hero and possibly the best "clutch" kicker ever in the NFL, Vinatieri is the kickers equivalent of a Rolls Royce to the common Toyota found on most teams. Any team in need of a kicker and who has a little extra money to spend on a kicker has a chance to land Vinatieri. The Dallas Cowboys, whose kicking game has been pitiful in recent years, are considered to be the most likely destination for Vinatieri.

2) Mike Vanderjagt (unrestricted, Indianapolis): You'd think after the glowing write-up Vinatieri got that he'd be the most accurate kicker in NFL history, but that's not the case. Actually, Vanderjagt is the NFL's most accurate kicker ever. The only problem is that kicks Vanderjagt tend to miss are the really important, game-on-the-line type of kicks that Vinatieri calmly nails every time. That said, Vanderjagt has also had the advantage of spending his entire career kicking from inside a dome for at least half of his games each year while Vinatieri has been in one of the more inhospitable climates. Vandy is a top kicker, and will do well with another team.

3) Ryan Longwell (unrestricted, Green Bay): Longwell has done incredibly well for a kicker in another very unfriendly climate. He's a reliable kicker with a strong enough leg to make the longer ones as well. He'll excel if he gets to a dome or a warm weather city.

4) Josh Brown (restricted, Seattle): Brown is a young kicker with a good leg. But as a restricted free agent, he's not likely to go anywhere.

5) Matt Bryant (unrestricted, Tampa Bay): The Bucs will likely let Bryant go and go after someone like Vanderjagt or Longwell. But Bryant, despite some inconsistencies, is still better than several kickers on other teams.

Other notables: Todd Peterson (unrestricted, Atlanta); Paul Edinger (unrestricted, Minnesota).

See Russ's other 2006 fantasy football picks:

• 2006 Free Agent Running Backs
• 2006 Free Agent Wide Receivers
• 2006 Free Agent Quarterbacks

Russ Bliss - fantasy football expert and radio host of "The Red Zone with Russ Bliss" on KDUS-AM - went head-to-head with the Line-Up Analyzer last year, and still wishes he had worn a helmet. Russ was so impressed with our predictive analysis engine, he joined the team at FantasyFootballStarters.com.

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