Jeremy Shockey

Shockey transitions this year from the Saints’ third-ranked passing offense to the Panthers’ 32nd-ranked passing attack. Shockey could have been the team's top receiving option if wide receiver Steve Smith left, but Smith returns and the team brought in Greg Olsen from the Bears. Blessed with a solid speed/power combination, Shockey has displayed a good set of hands as well. One red flag that continues to haunt him is his health. He has never played a full 16-game season and has missed nine games the last three years. Shockey turns 31 this year entering his 10th NFL season, but he still has good tight-end skills. His situation, though, likely will limit his fantasy prospects.

Shockey found his way back to the end zone last year after being shut out in 2008, though he scored only three times. And two of those came on opening day. Even though he plays in the Saints’ explosive offense, he only managed two games last season with more than 50 receiving yards. And even though Drew Brees attempted 514 passes last season, only 67 were targeted for Shockey, just nine in the red zone. His ownership now comes with a mandatory “injury-prone” tag after he missed at least two games in each of the last three seasons. Shockey also turns 30 before the season starts this year. Even if injury and age don’t rear their heads, Shockey will always face immense competition for targets with all the weapons in the Saints’ prolific offense.

Shockey is expected to be healthy for the start of training camp, but right before press time, he was hospitalized after suffering a seizure in the team’s weight room in late May — something to watch in case symptoms persist or recur during the summer.

Shockey’s first season in New Orleans was forgettable, as ankle and sports hernia injuries cost him four games. Despite playing in a pass-happy offense, Shockey failed to find the end zone for the first time in his career and had a career-low 483 receiving yards. Shockey is set to begin the season completely healthy and could provide a nice bargain, depending on how far he falls. He’ll only be 29 when the season starts, and will have something to prove after last year’s disaster. Expect a rebound across the board and at least a few touchdowns in 2009.

Shockey's touchdown output fell off significantly in 2007, in part due to the emergence of Plaxico Burress as the team's dominant red-zone target. Shockey's 11 red-zone targets tied him for 16th with Eric Johnson and Will Heller among tight ends, even though Shockey was eighth in total targets at the position. Shockey missed the last two games of the year, and the team's entire postseason run with a broken fibula that is expected to be 100 percent healed by the start of training camp. Which training camp Shockey reports to is up in the air at press time. The Giants proved they could win without him, and the Saints, likely at the urging of his former offensive coordinator Sean Payton, are rumored to be interested. If Shockey heads to New Orleans' carnival passing game, bump him up a couple spots.

Shockey’s yardage stats were down in 2006, but he still had value near the goal line. Shockey was among the leaders at the position in red-zone targets (16, 4th in NFL), red-zone touchdowns (7, 1st), goal-line targets (7, tied 1st) and goal-line touchdowns (4, tied 1st). Other than San Diego’s Antonio Gates, Shockey’s scored more touchdowns the last three years (20) than any tight end. And with Tiki Barber gone, Shockey becomes even more valuable to the Giants on offense as it will depend more heavily on playmaking in the passing game.

Shockey continues to be a leader in yards per game. His 59.4 YPG in 2005 was second among tight ends to Antonio Gates (73.4 YPG), and his four-year NFL-career YPG average of 55.3 is second only to Tony Gonzalez (59.6 YPG) during that span. Moreover, Shockey led all qualifying NFL tight ends with 13.7 yards per catch. He did have some crucial drops last season, but outside of Gates, no tight end in the league is a tougher matchup or more of a threat to make a big play. Shockey, who will turn 26 this season, became QB Eli Manning’s second-favorite target and tied with Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer with seven touchdown receptions, giving him 13 in two seasons.

Shockey made headlines for appearing at just one of coach Tom Coughlin’s voluntary offseason workouts. While the no-nonsense coach might have preferred Shockey join the team for the workouts, Coughlin seemed to accept the tight end working on his own out at the University of Miami, an environment where Shockey believes he could recapture his swagger. If we are to believe all parties, there should be no concern. What does concern is Shockey’s yards per game in 2004 – Coughlin’s first season in New York – dropped to 44.4, down from 59.4 (2003) and 59.4 (2002). His usage pattern did not deviate when Coughlin elevated Eli Manning to starting quarterback. Shockey averaged 43.1 ypg in the six games started by Manning. Shockey surpassed 50 yards in just five of 15 games in 2004, after posting the same total in six fewer games in 2003. The yardage reduction could be due to nagging injuries (foot, hamstring, back) or a holdover from the foot injury that limited him to nine games in 2003.

Shockey could easily be No. 1, but the Giants for some reason have not made a habit of using him in the red zone, as Shockey’s scored just four touchdowns in his two professional seasons and caught just four red-zone passes in 2003. In fact, the team led the league in red-zone futility, failing to score points 32 percent of the time inside the 20. New head coach Tom Coughlin vows to fix that, and Shockey figures to be the tool preferred by the coach. It remains to be seen how he works with Kurt Warner, but Shockey’s exceptional speed and route-running ability for a man his size are sure to create plenty of mismatches and opportunities. Shockey missed some minicamp workouts in June with a "hot spot" on his foot, and after having surgery on it, he will miss the start of training camp. He is expected to be healthy for the start of the regular season, however.

Shockey seemed to be the perfect fit for the high-profile New York market. Brash, aggressive and confident, Shockey started the season slowly and suffered a foot injury. But his rookie campaign changed in the second half of the season. He finished with a position-high 74 receptions and 894 yards, with 50 catches and 592 yards in the final eight games. His nine games with 50-plus yards also was a high among tight ends, and he had two games with more than 100 yards receiving. He'd be our No. 1 tight end if we were certain he'd catch more touchdowns than the two he caught last season. But with other offensive options (Tiki Barber and Amani Toomer), the Giants can afford to spread the ball around in the red zone.