Who Should I Start? Ben Sinnott or Zach Heins

Tuesday, December 9, 1:51 PM

Washington Commanders tight end Ben Sinnott is in line for more opportunities after Zach Ertz (knee) unfortunately suffered a torn ACL during Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Sinnott has played just 26.9% of the snaps for Washington this season, operating as the team's third tight end behind Ertz and John Bates. The second-year tight end has been solid as a blocker, but he hasn't seen many opportunities as a receiver with Ertz still clearly being a useful pass-catcher. Sinnott, a 2024 second-round pick, has strong athletic traits and should be expected to slot in as Washington's top receiving tight end for the rest of the season. In 29 career games, he's hauled in all nine of his targets for 69 yards and two touchdowns. He recorded a reception for eight yards on Washington's opening drive against the Vikings, but there's also a possibility that he splits reps with Colson Yankoff. Sinnott is the better bet between the two because of his draft capital, and he profiles as a low-end TE2 for the Week 15 game against the division-rival New York Giants.

Thursday, July 11, 4:37 PM

Former South Dakota State University tight end Zach Heins signed with the Los Angeles Chargers after being unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft. After a slow start to his collegiate career, Heins caught 56 passes for 757 yards and 11 touchdowns over the last two seasons. With the Chargers, he's in one of the weaker tight end rooms in the NFL, and Daniel Popper of the Athletic believes he has a shot to make the 53-man roster following training camp. "Heins, out of South Dakota State, is over 6-foot-6 and 259 pounds. He projects as a capable inline blocker. The Chargers have been very clear about wanting to build a physical and imposing running game," Popper wrote. "To do that consistently, they need run blockers at tight end. They signed an elite run blocker in free agency in Will Dissly. But I think they need more run-blocking behind Dissly." It sounds like Heins won't be much of a pass-catcher if he makes the roster, but he should still be on the fantasy radar in ultra-deep leagues if he's active in Week 1. The Chargers could opt to carry four tight ends on game day, so he'll need to beat out one of Dissly, Hayden Hurst, Donald Parham Jr., or Stone Smartt.