Sleeper Watch

Experienced fantasy owners know the drill: don’t expect too much too soon from rookie tight ends. No matter how well a first-year TE seems to fit in with his new team’s offense – remember the inflated predictions for Anthony Becht in 2000? – this is a position where the transition from college to the pros takes time.

Yet every once in a while an exceptional player comes along who might turn out to be an exception to that rule. Kellen Winslow Jr. may fit that mold.

Winslow, an All-American and John Mackey Award winner as the best tight end in the nation, seems to be a chip off the old block; dad Kellen Sr. redefined the TE position and is a member of the Hall of Fame. Don’t reserve a spot in Canton for Kellen Jr. quite yet, but he does have the talent necessary to succeed at the NFL level, possessing agility, speed, and excellent hands. If Winslow can become a team player and put the controversy (the Heisman pose, the unsportsmanlike conduct, “I’m a soldier”…) that surrounded his career at Miami behind him, he could be a premiere TE for a long time.

The only knock on Winslow’s abilities is his lack of blocking skills. But until blocks become a fantasy category, that’s not something owners will be losing sleep over.