By the ripe old age of six, I’d already been counseled that the early bird gets the worm, and that I should endeavor to be that bird. I always wondered why anyone would want to capture said worm, much less wake up early to do so. Ah, wait, are we going fishing?

And then some elder statesman named Ben Franklin famously said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” And, of course, we all know Vince Lombardi was a stickler for being prepared, requiring that folks get to team meetings 10 to 15 minutes early, in order to actually be on time. That sounds a bit like a mixed message to me—get to work early equals being on time? I’ll cut him some slack, I suppose, with a last name like Lombardi and all.

So, in an effort to support all three of these premises and prepare ahead of time, let’s focus on five fantasy football tight ends set to surpise next fake football season. OK, I’ll open up for a moment. I shared this topic with a friend, a female fantasy football friend. While she appreciated the direction of the topic, but wanted me to express, on her behalf, that she’s quite open to writing a little different slant on fantasy football tight ends. I hear the rim shots across the internet, as we speak. But we—she and I—digress.

So, following are five players who play the tight end position who just might have opportunity to jump up your rankings next year, based on their play during the 2013 season, as well as other extraneous circumstances as we now know them.

Garrett Graham, Tight End, Houston Texans

When Owen Daniels went down to injury after five weeks of the 2013 season, Houston rolled out his twin to replace him in the lineup. Wonder twin powers activate, form of tight end, shape of the exact same guy! I never realized Graham and Daniels are essentially the same person. Both attended Wisconsin. Both are 6’3”. Both weigh about 250 pounds. Neither will be confused with Vernon Davis, in terms of speed demons. But would Graham be a reliable, go-to, good hands pass-catching tight end for whichever quarterback gets the nod for the Texans next year? Yes sir, thank you very much. While playing in only 12 games and acting as the starting tight end in Houston for less than two-thirds of those, he still managed to finish in the top 12 in the league in touchdowns and targets for tight ends. Say that last sentence five times fast. It will help you active your wonder twin powers more quickly. Trust me.

Tyler Eifert, Tight End, Cincinnati Bengals

Already one of the more intriguing tight end prospects coming out of Notre Dame last year—the Bengals used the No. 21 overall pick on him—Eifert would seem a Jermaine Gresham injury away from a breakout campaign in 2014. The Bengals were the only team to have two tight ends in the top 25 of targets. Combined, Eifert and the elder Gresham had 119 targets this year, which would rank in the top five targeted starting tight ends by a team. Head spinning yet? Just look at it this way; the two have virtually cancelled one another out for fantasy purposes thusfar. But there are high hopes for young Eifert and his high impact game, going back to his college production. So keep an eye out. His arrow should be pointing upward before this same time next year.

Zach Ertz, Tight End, Philadelphia Eagles

Ertz should love playing in the high-octane, giddy-up offensive system known as Chip Kelly’s lab experiment. Yet another rookie sharing time with a veteran this year, Ertz actually saw a tad more targets and catches than teammate Brent Celek. But as the season wore on, Ertz’s involvement increased comparatively to Celek; over the final nine games other than the Snow Bowl game, Ertz averaged right at five targets per game to three for Celek. A big target at 6’5”, it stands to reason that Celek, six years his senior, should continue losing playing time and production as the season progresses next year. And that just means his giddy-up is getting going next year.

Charles Clay, Tight End, Miami Dolphins

If truth be known, I had no idea Charles Clay was a Golden Hurricane. Did you? And although he sounds like he could be Will Smith’s other cousin (besides Carlton) on The Prince of Bel-Air, Clay made quite a name for himself this past season … especially in fantasy football circles. The University of Tulsa graduate finished in the top eight in the league in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdown catches amongst tight ends. He’s young, the offensive system should not change, and they even let him run the ball from time to time. He even scored this year on a touchdown run. So, what have you got to lose to not keep an eye out for Clay next season? He should be ready for another full slate of action, because after all, there’s gold at the end of that rainbow. Or am I getting my weather components all mixed up?

Jordan Reed, Tight End, Washington Redskins

Sure, just a few years back, many were hailing Chris Cooley’s hair as the answer in Washington. The question remained the issue; no one was ever really certain what question was actually being answered. Then along came Fred Davis and his big-play ability. But this past season when he was able to stay on the field, the University of Florida rookie Reed pretty much made Davis obsolete. In the eight games Reed played, he was targeted more than seven times per game, becoming a good friend on the field to Robert Griffin III. During those eight games he was healthy, he averaged over five catches and 60 yards per game. His athleticism in undeniable. And one would think the new coaching regime will want to exploit the talent and the compatibility with Griffin in 2014. Now if only he could grow his hair like Cooley.

Ok, I’m out of here boys and girls. I think I will just go fishing. I'll need those worms, after all. Thank you for your support.