Only four tight ends in the league in the last three years have tallied 1,000-yard seasons — Antonio Gates, Dallas Clark, Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez. Only three tight ends ends averaged more than 1 TD every two games— Gates, Clark and Vernon Davis in his last two seasons.

 Most mid-level tight ends average about 1 TD every three games — Witten, Jermichael Finley in his last two seasons, Kellen Winslow, Owen Daniels and Marcedes Lewis.

Gates, Clark and Witten are the only tight ends in the league that average more than 60 yards receiving per game. The message is clear when its time to draft a tight end: Gates, Clark, Witten and Vernon Davis are the cream of a crop that has a very weak harvest.

If you can't snag one of the big four — they'll theoretically all be gone by the 6th round per Y! and ESPN's ADP's— you'll need to be savvy with your TE pick. And by "savvy," I mean, don't buy into the Jermichael Finley hype.  Somehow the Green Bay pass catcher has become more beloved to fantasy football paparazzi than Pippi Middleton has to photo-snapping Brits. Drafting Finley as the second tight end is a travesty, as the TE's one measly season of mediocre numbers is laughable compared to the yardage consistency of Gates, Clark, Witten and Davis. According to Y!, Finley is the second TE being drafted.  In ESPN leagues, he is getting picked up after Gates, Clark and Witten, and rightly so.

One big boss that quietly hauled in 71 catches, 722 yards and 4 TD's is the Detroit Lion's Brandon Pettigrew, a third year TE from Oklahoma State that went in the first round of the 2009 draft. Pettigrew's numbers from  last season are, points-wise, nearly identical to Finley's 2009 numbers. Pettigrew's 71 catchers were only six behind the Lions' leading receiver, Calvin Johnson.  Not bad for a guy whose Y! ADP is 117, behind Jacob Tamme and Kevin Boss; and whose ESPN ADP is 131, behind Greg Olsen and Jimmy Graham.  Pettigrew's 71/722/4 is a steal in the double-digit rounds, especially considering only six tight ends had more yards in 2010 than he did in 2010.

After Pettigrew, Cleveland's Benjamin Watson may be a decent option.  Watson's 2010 numbers are similar to Pettigrew's — 68 receptions, 763 yards and 3 TD's. For what it's worth, Watson excelled in his first year in the talent landfill that is Cleveland. Watson's numbers came via the questionable skills of Jake Delhomme, Seneca Wallace and Colt McCoy. Watson's Y! ADP puts him in the 15th round. His ESPN ADP tags him as the 23rd TE selected.