Who Should I Start? Eric Saubert or Tanner Hudson

Saturday, January 4, 12:15 AM

San Francisco 49ers backup tight end Eric Saubert could make his fourth start of the season in Week 18 at the Arizona Cardinals. Starter George Kittle (ankle, hamstring) is listed as questionable. To date in 2024, Saubert has caught seven of nine targets for 80 yards and a touchdown. Saubert's fantasy ceiling was established in Week 2 of 2022 when he caught one of two targets for a 22-yard touchdown as a member of the Denver Broncos. The eighth-year pro has been a career fantasy nonfactor, though in Week 16 at Miami -- with Kittle on the field -- he caught his third-career touchdown. Arizona has allowed the fourth-fewest half-PPR points per game to tight ends. If Kittle plays, Saubert is unplayable. He's barely more than that if Kittle sits, other than as a bargain-bin DFS shot-in-the-dark.

Saturday, November 16, 9:45 PM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson is not a viable fantasy option in Week 11 when his team lines up against the Los Angeles Chargers on the road at SoFi Stadium. The seventh-year veteran has seen his usage tick up since rookie TE Erick All Jr (knee) went down for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. In Week 10, Hudson had his best outing of the season when he churned out 42 yards and a touchdown on 6-of-7 receiving against a sieve-like Baltimore Ravens defense. However, he'll have a much more difficult outing this weekend against one of the top defenses in the league. The Chargers are affording opposing tight ends an average of 4.7 fantasy points per outing and are the top scoring defense in the NFL -- letting up just 13.1 points per game. Additionally, the 30-year-old will continue to contend with teammate Mike Gesicki for targets and now has wide receiver Tee Higgins (quad) back in the fold, vying for his own share. Hudson is RotoBaller's PPR TE28 ahead of Week 11's outing.