Who Should I Start? Durham Smythe or Brock Bowers

Thursday, March 6, 2:33 PM

The Chicago Bears signed former Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe to a one-year deal on Thursday, according to NFL.com. The former fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame has played his entire seven-year career with Miami but was released this offseason. Overall, the 28-year-old has hauled in 132 receptions for 1,228 yards and three touchdowns in 112 career games. Smythe is best utilized as a blocker, and with Chicago trading for former Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Jonah Jackson and former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Joe Thuney, it's evident they want to improve quickly in run and pass blocking. Smythe could help Chicago's offense in 2025 under new head coach Ben Johnson, but he's unlikely to be on the fantasy football radar.

Saturday, September 13, 5:24 PM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (knee) is officially listed as questionable for the Monday night meeting with the Chargers. The 22-year-old had five grabs for a team-high 103 yards in the Week 1 win over the New England Patriots before being ruled out because of a knee injury. He didn't practice on Thursday or Friday. However, Bowers was on the field on Saturday for a limited session. Head coach Pete Carroll expects him to be out there for the pivotal AFC West showdown. Still, fantasy managers may want to consider taking a cautious approach in case Bowers suffers an unexpected setback before then. This won't apply to those who have Michael Mayer stashed for insurance purposes, who can serve as a fantasy replacement if Bowers doesn't suit up. Mayer had 38 yards off four receptions against the Pats.