Anthony Fasano

Fasano hasn't eclipsed 528 receiving yards in a season during his 10-year career, and has averaged less than half that number over the last three years. The veteran should once again serve as a nice blocking complement to receiving tight end Delanie Walker in his second year in Tennessee while contributing in the passing game every now and then himself.

A veteran tight end, Fasano joined Tennessee this offseason after spending the past two seasons in Kansas City, where he managed 48 receptions (on 70 targets) for 426 yards and seven touchdowns. Those modest two-year totals evidence Fasano’s limited fantasy upside, which is mostly rooted in his annual handful or so of touchdowns. Nonetheless, Fasano still figures to be a serviceable backup to starting tight end Delanie Walker, as the 31-year-old embarks on his first season with the Titans.

Fasano was limited to nine games in his first season in Kansas City last year because of ankle, knee and head injuries. But even when healthy it was tough to carve out a meaningful role. The Chiefs only turned to Fasano because of injuries to Tony Moeaki and Travis Kelce and would like to get more out of the tight-end position. Moeaki is gone, but the 6-6, 260, Kelce could overtake Fasano (6-4, 255). In addition to his size advantage, Kelce is faster and a better receiver. Fasano's 11 red-zone targets, a healthy number considering his playing time, could go Kelce's way too. Fasano should still handle the blocking duties, but he probably won't see a major bump in targets even if he plays a full season.

Fasano left the Dolphins for the Chiefs this offseason where he'll fight for targets with incumbent Tony Moeaki and, to a lesser extent, rookie Travis Kelce. New head coach Andy Reid plans to employ a lot of two tight-end sets, so it's possible Fasano and Moeaki split targets evenly, hurting the value of both. In Miami, Fasano was used as a downfield receiver on double-moves along the sidelines, leading to long gains, but his efficiency numbers suffered last season as he dealt with a new offense and a rookie quarterback. Fasano could have some value if Moeaki, who's iffy for the start of training camp after arthroscopic knee surgery, is slow to get back to full speed.

Fasano had a decent but unspectacular 2011 season, finishing with 451 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He has the ability to get open down field by finding holes in the defense and using body control to make a play on the ball. But Fasano just didn’t see enough passes to be a dependable fantasy tight end, garnering only 54 targets. That can’t necessarily be expected to improve this season, either, as Fasano has a few factors working against him. First, it’s difficult to ascertain how Miami’s quarterback play will impact Fasano as Ryan Tannehill, David Garrard and Matt Moore will compete for the starting job. Perhaps more importantly, the Dolphins drafted tight end Michael Egnew, who could steal some of Fasano’s already limited targets. And it’s not like the new regime in Miami is bound by loyalty to Fasano. All of which is to say, Fasano is better left to the waiver wire in most formats.

While he’s not the quickest of tight ends, Fasano demonstrates the ability to read defenses and find the soft spots to get open. That skill led to nine catches of 20-plus yards, an impressive mark considering he only had 39 receptions. The Dolphins also used him close to the goal line, as his six targets inside the five were tied for third most at the position. Fasano recorded career-highs of 528 receiving yards and 8.8 yards per target. But he only had 60 targets, a career high but only 28th among tight ends, which doesn't offer enough opportunity for production. And that isn't likely to change substantially considering the Dolphins' wideout corps that hogged the targets last season.

Fasano looked to build off a strong 2008 last year but turned in a terribly disappointing season thanks to the quarterback switch from Chad Pennington to Chad Henne. Fasano received the same number of targets (54) as the year before but posted just 6.3 yards per target, resulting in 115 fewer receiving yards. He also was a forgotten man around the goal line after scoring seven touchdowns in 2008. Last season he received only five targets inside the 10, scoring just twice. With Henne the starter this year and Brandon Marshall joining the fold, Fasano’s 2010 doesn’t look bright.

Fasano was one of the bigger surprises last year, finishing with 454 receiving yards and seven touchdowns (tied for third among tight ends). He also built a good rapport with Chad Pennington as the season went on. During Weeks 11 and 12 he did not have a reception, yet he scored four touchdowns over the final four games. Fasano will likely be a serviceable No. 2 tight end, but will also have to split reps with teammate David Martin (440 yards, three touchdowns in 2008).

Fasano spent his first two seasons learning behind one of the best tight ends in the league in Jason Witten, so don't hold his slim production against him. The same regime that drafted him in Dallas liked him enough to trade for him in Miami, so he already has an inside edge over David Martin in the competition for the starting role. Tony Sparano's offense will look to the tight end often on top of the fact that, regardless of who wins the QB competition, there's going to be a young guy under center who's likely to use the tight end as a safety valve. If Fasano wins the starting job, he becomes an immediate sleeper for 500+ yards and a handful of touchdowns, making him a solid second-tier fantasy option.

#2 TE caught 14 passes as a rookie but failed to find the end zone.

With Jason Witten establishing himself as a top-tier tight end, we raised our collective eyebrows when the Cowboys selected Fasano in the second round out of Notre Dame. Coach Bill Parcells plans on utilizing a two-tight end alignment – favoring that over three wideouts – and hopes to exploit size/height mismatches, so Fasano should get a lot of snaps. He has good hands, but as a rookie, he’ll have to fight for the leftovers of Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn and Witten.