1. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
As the seventh-ranked fantasy tight end through 10 weeks, Gates brings a high level of fantasy production over an extended period of time to the stretch run of the 2013 fantasy football season. While Gates is averaging less than 50 yards per outing over the past five game, he's going to be lining up against a Miami Dolphins defense that has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends and is yielding an average of 56.6 yards and 0.7 touchdowns to that position this year. Look for a breakout game from Gates, especially considering that other elite fantasy options are either on bye or face tougher competition this week.
Projected Statistics: Seven receptions, 90 yards and one touchdown
2. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
Graham's matchup this week doesn't exactly indicate that he's going to have a huge fantasy impact. The San Francisco 49ers have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends this season and are giving up just 36.9 yards per game to that position. With that said, it really doesn't matter who Graham is going up against, he is going to eat. He's the No. 1 overall fantasy tight end and has tallied 40 more points than his closest competitor, Julius Thomas. Need I say more?
Projected Statistics: Six receptions, 87 yards and one touchdown
3. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers
Much like Graham, Davis isn't exactly going up against a soft defense. Rob Ryan's unit ranks fourth in the NFL against fantasy tight ends and have been downright scarey against that position as of late. Jason Witten put up just two receptions for 27 yards last week against the Saints. With that said, Davis is going to be targeted early and often in this one. We saw exactly how important he is to the 49ers' offense when he went out with a concussion against the Carolina Panthers last week. While still considered questionable for today's matchup, Davis should be good to go.
Projected Statistics: Five receptions, 80 yards and one touchdown
4. Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears
After putting up 350 yards in his first six games with he Bears, Bennett has struggled recently. He has just 13.20 fantasy points over the last three games, tallying 72 yards receiving during that span. Bennett will need to bring his A game against the Baltimore Ravens if the Bears are going to maintain their position among playoff contenders in the NFC. The good news here is that Baltimore ranks among the bottom-12 of the NFL against fantasy tight ends. Look for Josh McCown to go in his direction early and often today.
Projected Statistics: Five receptions, 54 yards and one touchdown
5. Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns
Cameron put up just one catch for four yards in his last outing, a Week 9 win against the Baltimore Ravens. He's still the No. 3 overall fantasy tight end through 10 weeks and likely used the bye week to create a better relationship with new starting quarterback Jason Campbell. Despite going up against the Cincinnati Bengals defense, who rank ninth in the NFL against fantasy tight ends, Cameron should find himself in the top five.
Projected Statistics: Four receptions, 50 yards and one touchdown