Upside by Will Grant
Despite being the #1 receiver for Baltimore and the #3 TE in the league, Todd Heap had a disappointing year in 2003. He had 12 fewer receptions, and 3 fewer TDs than he did in 2002, and many believed that he would challenge Tony Gonzalez for #1 TE spot. But when your team ranks dead last in attempts, completions and passing yards, there is not a lot that you can do about it.

Heap's poor numbers for 2003 can be directly attributed to the inconsistent play of the Baltimore Quarterbacks, especially once rookie Kyle Boller went down with an injury.

Boller's rookie season was nothing to get excited about. He began the season as the starter, went down to an injury in week nine and finished the season on the bench. Even before his injury, Boller had only one game with more than 156 yards passing, and had three games where here did not even crack 100. In two of those games, Heap's stats were a combined two receptions for nine yards. For the other seven games with Boller at QB, Heap had 33 receptions, 438 yards and 2 TDs. In the seven games with Boller on the bench, Heap had only 22 receptions, 246 yards and 1 TD.

Boller will be the starter for Baltimore again this season. If Boller can stay healthy, Heap could easily see 70 receptions come his way in 2004. Multiply that by his career receiving average of 12.3 and suddenly Heap is posting 860 yards receiving.

The one big question mark about Heap is his red zone targets. Heap only had 3 TDs. last year. Second year TE Terry Jones had just as many as Heap, yet only had 19 receptions for the year. This could also be attributed to Boller's injury as backup Anthony Wright focused more on WR Marcus Robinson (6 TDs. in the final 6 games) and Jones (2 TDs. in the final 5 games) in the red zone more than Heap. With Boller under center for 16 games, Heap's red zone numbers should return as well.

Downside by David Yudkin
Not Worth the Investment

Heap jumped to the top of the TE rankings in 2002, scoring 123 fantasy points with a 68-836-6 season. Last year, his production dipped to 57-693-3 (89 fantasy points), a 28% decrease. If he scores like his rookie season, then he may be worth the pick it takes to draft him. If he compiles numbers similar to last year, even if he ranks as the #3 TE again, he won't be worth it.

Heap's numbers suffered the most at the end of last year, catching a single pass in four of the final six games. The Ravens' passing attack was one of the weakest in the game. For most teams, the addition of WR Kevin Johnson may not be considered a noteworthy addition. In Baltimore, as sad as it may seem, adding Johnson has to be considered an upgrade.

Johnson ranked as the #47 and #49 WR the past two seasons. The Ravens hope he posts another 84-1097-9 season as he did in 2001 when he ranked as fantasy's #13 WR. He's better than what they had, but he's not Terrell Owens. Johnson could be a threat to targets and receptions that could have gone to Heap.

Jamal Lewis also takes opportunities away from Heap. When a RB surpasses 2,000 yards rushing, don't expect premium production from other offensive slots.

Heap would have to outclass the other TE to merit the draft pick that it will take to snag him. Heap outscored the #12 TE (Anthony Becht) by 29 fantasy points. Based on last year's ADP data, Heap was the #44 player selected. Becht went undrafted. Investing a 4th rounder on Heap would have gotten you an extra 1.8 PPG. From a value perspective, Heap won't be worth it.