Who Should I Start? Durham Smythe or Isaiah Likely

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.

Wednesday, July 30, 10:08 AM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (foot) is expected to miss at least six weeks of action to repair a broken bone in his foot. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network noted that while the expectation is that the tight will miss six weeks, there is a belief that he could recover on a faster timeline. While Likely could be in danger of missing the start of the regular season, he has avoided a significant injury. The 25-year-old sustained this injury during Tuesday's practice session. Fantasy managers should continue to keep a close eye on his status in case this injury begins to linger. Last season, Likely enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, tallying 111 yards in the season opener. However, he would only go on to tally over 70 receiving yards in one game during the remainder of the season. When healthy, Likely will be deployed as the No. 2 tight end in Baltimore behind Mark Andrews, which will continue to limit his fantasy ceiling.