Visanthe Shiancoe

With Daniel Fells starting camp on the PUP list, Shiancoe gives the Patriots another experienced tight end, but with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez ahead of him on the depth chart, fantasy relevance is at least an injury or two away.

Shiancoe continued his steady ways for the Vikings last season, breaking 500 yards for the third consecutive season despite inconsistent quarterback play last year. Shiancoe possesses enough speed and agility to get open down the seam and can make defenders miss in open space. His fantasy value took a hit last season, though, with a diminished Brett Favre at quarterback and a less friendly offensive environment generally. After receiving 16 red-zone targets (10 inside the 10) in 2009, Shiancoe received just six last season (three inside the 10), and his touchdowns fell drastically from 11 to a mere two. While Shiancoe will be on the field for most of the team’s snaps, the drafting of Kyle Rudolph suggests he could lose some looks to the rookie out of Notre Dame. While the Minnesota quarterback situation has improved with Donovan McNabb, it's not clear if Shiancoe will become a favorite target in the red zone like he was for Brett Favre.

Perhaps no tight end’s fantasy value hinges more on his work near the goal line than Shiancoe’s. In 2009, Shiancoe caught 56 passes (11th among TE) for 566 yards (16th) but still tied for fifth in tight end fantasy scoring thanks to his 11 touchdowns, second only to Vernon Davis’ 13. And all 11 of those came inside the 20 as he was targeted 16 times in the red zone. What’s more, he scored seven touchdowns inside the 10-yard-line on nine targets.

Shiancoe scored an impressive seven touchdowns in 2008 (third among TE) but benefited from a Brett Favre-directed offense last year that afforded more scoring opportunities. His 79 overall targets (12th for tight ends) make him less valuable in PPR leagues. But if Favre returns to Minnesota and continues to target his tight end in the red zone, Shiancoe should have another big season.

Shiancoe had a career year in Minnesota, finishing with 42 catches for 596 yards and seven touchdowns. With linebackers watching Adrian Peterson, Shiancoe found holes in opposing defenses and finished tied for second among tight ends with 14.2 yards per catch. In Week 16 against Atlanta, he posted one of the best games for a tight end in 2008, catching seven passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. The quarterback situation in Minnesota is in flux as usual, but Shiancoe had success with both Tarvaris Jackson and Gus Frerotte under center. Keep in mind his seven touchdowns will be hard to duplicate, with only 13 total red-zone targets for the last two seasons.

After spending four years with the Giants, Shiancoe logged the best season of his career with Minnesota in 2007. He is the best pass-catching tight end on the Vikings' roster but still will likely be no more than a bye-week filler in most fantasy leagues.

Shiancoe, who was Jeremy Shockey’s backup the last four seasons, will compete with Jimmy Kleinsasser for the No. 1 job. But neither player figures to get enough attention in an offense that will be run by an unproven starter (Tarvaris Jackson or Brooks Bollinger).

Shiancoe's a good athlete, but isn't likely to see a lot of passes thrown his way as he's backing up Jeremy Shockey. Even if Shockey were to go down, we're doubtful Shiancoe has the hands or the route-running skills to make a major impact.

Shiancoe has very good athleticism, but is still raw. He'll back up Jeremy Shockey at tight end.

Will vie with Marcellus Rivers to back up tight end Jeremy Shockey.

Shiancoe is a 6-4, 256-pounder with 4.66 speed in the 40-yard dash that can move downfield quickly and has big, soft hands, which make him a reliable receiver. He'll need to improve his blocking, though. Right now, he projects as Jeremy Shockey's backup.