Who Should I Start? Durham Smythe or Noah Fant

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, 3:21 PM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Noah Fant had a team-high four catches in Sunday's win over the Browns. While he only accumulated 26 yards, he was the only Bengal besides Chase Brown to score a touchdown. Most assumed Mike Gesicki would see more work than Fant throughout the 2025 campaign. While that could still happen moving forward, that wasn't the case in Week 1, with Fant logging 26 snaps and Gesicki finishing with 16. The veteran still has a way to go before earning the trust of fantasy managers, especially since Gesicki likely isn't going away, considering his on-field relationship with quarterback Joe Burrow. Still, Fant can be utilized for streaming purposes in multi-tight end setups for the Week 2 meeting with the Jags. Fantasy managers should just be aware of the risk.