FanHouse KellenWinslow

Welcome back, Mr. Clark. It's been a while, but by no means did you ever fall off the radar. It's been a sweet and dandy type season for Dallas Clark. And during a week devoted to feasting, that's exactly what he's gonna do against the Texans. All Clark did was rope in 14 catches for 119 yards the last time he faced the Texans. Of course, the game plan will change, but the results won't ... start Clark with a confident smirk.

The rest of the usual suspects are back as the top options again this week. Vernon Davis responded from his bad week a few weeks back with a monster day at Green Bay. I'm banking that Kellen Winslow follows suit this week and responds like only a soldier can after his stinker last weekend. He draws a Falcons defense that just allowed Kevin Boss to shred them last week. What's not to like? As for the rest of the ranks...

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We know over the course of the season, it appears tight end is going to be a deep position, and this week there seem to be a lot of good plays. Sure, it's top-heavy, as the top four form the proverbial "Big Four," but take a look in the teens. There are plenty of viable options this week with a chance to put up numbers rivaling anyone in the top 10.

Of course, we're pretty confident Dallas Clark goes nuts against the Jags at home.

1. Dallas Clark, IND vs. JAX
2. Antonio Gates, SD at OAK
3. Jason Witten, DAL at TB
4. Tony Gonzalez, ATL vs. MIA
5. Greg Olsen, CHI at GB

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The Buccaneers have been busy little beavers this offseason. Jon Gruden got canned, Raheem Morris, the league's youngest head coach, was hired, and along with new (and young-ish) general manager Mark Dominik, they purged the roster of veterans and commenced with the youth movement.

Taking quarterback Josh Freeman with their first-round pick was a clear indication of that, but so too was trading for wildly talented but emotionally excitable tight end Kellen Winslow.

When one prepares to draft a fantasy football team, myriad criterion should be considered in evaluating who to target, and, likewise, who to avoid. One word bouncing around just as frequently as anything else during said evaluation? Injury. Maybe a guy was injured for several games last season, maybe he suffered a season-ending injury or maybe he's just an injury-prone guy. This affects the value of players on draft day.

Let's check out the value of 10 guys with injury concerns, and judge whether or not they are up to the task for 2009.

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Houston Texans tight end Owen Daniels joined cornerback Dunta Robinson in skipping out of voluntary OTAs as a contract holdout. His Facebook page explains:

"Decided not to show up for practice because of my contract situation. I would much rather bet there, but I'm not getting the fairness I was hoping for on the business end of things. I really hope we can agree on something soon."

Actually, it was somewhat surprising that he attended all the OTAs without a new contract given that he risked injury by doing so. Negotiating an extension for Daniels is difficult because of the absurd money that Tampa Bay gave Kellen Winslow.

Perhaps the best way to ease a young NFL quarterback into the starting job is to surround him with playmakers, the support of a suffocating defense, or both. That way, he's seldom in the position of having to win a game, but has the benefit of gaining experience.

The strategy worked for the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger in 2004, and the Ravens and Joe Flacco and the Falcons and Matt Ryan last season. Pittsburgh was 15-1, Baltimore and Atlanta were 11-5. It helps to have most of the pieces in place before handing over the offense to a young QB, but it's not mandatory; the Ravens won five times the year before Flacco arrived, and the Falcons won four.

After five sometimes-tumultuous years in Cleveland, the Browns traded Kellen Winslow to the Buccaneers this offseason. It was an opportunity for the tight end to get a fresh start, a new beginning, a rebirth ... any cliche works here, really. Except that, on Tuesday, Winslow missed the start of organized team activities (OTAs) with his new club.

In general, it's hardly a big deal; OTAs aren't mandatory and while it's good for team-building and whatnot, veterans don't get much out of the experience. At least those not learning a new system. That wasn't the case for Winslow, and it might explain why former Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp took exception to Winslow's decision to skip out on voluntary workouts:

Tampa Bay has traded tight end Alex Smith to New England for an undisclosed draft pick in the 2010 draft. The Bucs had reportedly been looking to unload Smith ever since acquiring Kellen Winslow from the Browns at the end of February.

The Patriots weren't exactly bare at the tight end position before this move either. The Pats return Benjamin Watson and David Thomas, their two starters from last year, and signed former Jet Chris Baker to a free-agent deal.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers think they finally have a franchise quarterback, in Kansas State's Josh Freeman. They very well might, but that doesn't make him a good fantasy football option for this coming season. In fact, I don't think he should be drafted in any league as of right now.

The Bucs currently have Byron Leftwich, who will probably be starting this season, while the rookie is brought along, a la Carson Palmer waiting behind Jon Kitna in Cincinnati. It's possible for the Bucs to cut Leftwich -- since they didn't give him a signing bonus it wouldn't cost them any money -- but most in the know believe Freeman's not ready to immediately come in and start.

According to a published report, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards will be a member of the New York Giants before the NFL Draft -- which begins April 25.