Joel Dreessen

Dreessen and Jacob Tamme will battle for targets again in 2013, capping the upside of both tight ends. Tamme finished with more targets, receptions and yards last season but it was Dreessen who scored five touchdowns to Tamme's two. Unfortunately, both of their fantasy values could dip a little this year thanks to the receiving addition of Wes Welker from New England.

Dreessen signed with the Broncos, where he’ll be another receiving option for Peyton Manning. Manning has a history of heavily relying on his tight ends, but Dreessen has competition for targets from Jacob Tamme, Manning’s former Indianapolis teammate whom the Broncos also signed. Dreessen is used to a crowded tight-end situation, though, as he shared targets with Owen Daniels and James Casey in Houston last season but still carved out six touchdowns on just eight red-zone targets. Dreessen and Tamme share a similar history – both are career backups who excelled in the lead role when starters were injured. If one tight end separates himself, he could have significant fantasy value with Mannning at quarterback. Otherwise, they might cancel each other out in the sharing role.

At 6-4, 260, Dreessen is a solid run-blocking tight end, but for the second year in a row he got the chance to showcase his receiving skills when Owen Daniels suffered an injury. Dreessen improved his 26 receptions from 2009 to a career-high 36 last season, 19 of which came in the five midseason games Daniels missed with a bad hamstring. Dreessen also posted a healthy 14.4-yard receving average, and if Daniels goes down again, Dreessen has proven himself a suitable backup.

The seldom-used Dreessen caught a career-high 26 balls in 2009 - 21 of them after Owen Daniels was lost for the season because of a knee injury. Primarily known for his skills as a blocker, Dreessen showed he can be an effective option in the passing game (16 catches in final four games, all Texans wins). Much of his fantasy value is tied up in Daniels' health, but Dreessen did show enough to be a capable backup should Daniels not be fully healthy. Dreessen underwent offseason shoulder and ankle surgery, but is expected to be ready for training camp.

Dreesen will be used primarily as a blocking tight end, though he caught a career-high 11 passes last season. The Texans went heavy in the draft at tight end, grabbing Anthony Hill and James Casey, so playing time will be tight.

Dreesen will be Houston's third-string tight end, with few targets over the course of the year.

Dreessen made the Texans' roster as a fourth tight end, then was released in Sept. 2007.