Who Should I Start? Eric Saubert or John Bates

Monday, March 24, 8:25 PM

The Seattle Seahawks signed veteran free-agent tight end Eric Saubert to an undisclosed deal on Monday, according to Seahawks.com's John Boyle. Saubert, originally a fifth-round selection (174th overall) by the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 out of Drake, will now join his eighth NFL team as he heads into his ninth year in the league. The 30-year-old spent last year with the San Francisco 49ers, where he caught 11 of 14 targets for 97 yards and one touchdown in 17 games (three starts). Saubert will remain in the NFC West and will serve as a backup behind Noah Fant and A.J. Barner in Seattle, leaving him virtually no fantasy appeal. Barring injuries to Fant and Barner, expect Saubert to mostly factor in on special teams. His best season came back in 2022 with the Denver Broncos, when he caught 15 of 24 targets for 148 yards and one touchdown in 17 games (six starts).

Friday, January 24, 6:03 PM

Washington Commanders tight ends John Bates (shoulder) and Ben Sinnott (shoulder) were both removed from Friday's final injury report and will be available on Sunday for the NFC Championship against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles. Zach Ertz (rib) will also be active after practicing in full on Thursday and Friday, so neither Bates nor Sinnott are realistic DFS options for fantasy managers this weekend. The 27-year-old Bates has played through a shoulder injury in both postseason games but has only one catch on three targets for 20 yards to show for it. He had eight grabs on 13 targets for 84 yards and no scores in 17 regular-season games (six starts). Sinnott, meanwhile, has not even been targeted in two playoff games and caught all five of his targets for 28 yards and one touchdown in his first 17 NFL games during the regular season.