Jermaine Gresham Fantasy Football 2013: Owners Should Consider TE

(Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports)

When the Cincinnati Bengals used the 21st pick in the 2010 NFL Draft on former Oklahoma star tight end Jermaine Gresham, they were hoping his skills as an effective pass-catching tight end would be just as effective at the NFL level. Three years later, Gresham’s career numbers have been decent so far, but there’s certainly been plenty of room for improvement.

However, with many fantasy football owners getting ready for the 2013 season, Gresham is one of those tight ends that could turn out to be one of the biggest sleepers this year–so he should strongly be considered in all leagues.

There were some concerns surrounding Gresham entering the 2010 draft after he missed his senior season at Oklahoma with a knee injury, but it was difficult for the Bengals to ignore the fact that he caught 103 passes for 1,468 yards and 25 touchdowns in the two seasons prior to the injury. In his first three seasons with Cincinnati, Gresham has recorded 172 catches for 1,804 yards to go along with 15 touchdowns and based on the progress made by the Bengals over the last two years–the star tight end could be in for his best season.

Not only is Andy Dalton more experienced at quarterback, but Gresham should benefit from playing alongside rookie tight end Tyler Eifert–who is also expected to be a threat in the passing game–as well. The potential has always been there for Gresham to be effective at tight end considering the type of numbers he displayed at Oklahoma and after three years of frustrations from fantasy owners–expect big things from Gresham during the 2013 season as the Bengals look to reach the playoffs for the third-straight season.