Who Should I Start? Erick All Jr. or Gunnar Helm

Tuesday, January 28, 1:04 PM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Erick All Jr. (knee), who tore his right ACL on Nov. 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders, is expected to miss all of the 2025 season due to complications from a previous knee surgery in college, according to team and league sources. All will need two surgeries to fix the issue. The 24-year-old fell to the fourth round of the 2024 draft because of medical concerns. In addition to his knee injury, he suffered a back injury in 2022 while at Michigan that led to "life-changing" spine surgery. All has now ended the last three years with an injury. His second knee surgery should set him up to hit the ground running in 2026, and the Bengals hope All can pick up where he left off in his rookie season when he caught 20 of 22 targets for 158 yards in nine games before tearing his ACL. All's biggest impact came in the running game as a blocker, though.

Wednesday, May 7, 3:12 PM

Tennessee Titans rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor and tight end Gunnar Helm were both fourth-round selections in the 2025 NFL Draft. While fourth-round picks are not guaranteed to make an impact right away, the Stanford and Texas products, respectively, "should have a path to contributing early," according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Many draft analysts had a Round 2 or Round 3 grade on Ayomanor, who posted 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns in two collegiate seasons. The Titans' wide receiver group behind Calvin Ridley and the aging Tyler Lockett is underwhelming, so don't be surprised if Ayomanor is starting at the X-WR spot early in his rookie campaign. Meanwhile, Chig Okonkwo is still slotted in as the starter at tight end, but Helm, who caught 60 passes and scored seven touchdowns last season, could eat into his snaps and become a factor in 12-personnel. Neither pass-catcher is likely to be a consistent fantasy producer in an offense led by rookie quarterback Cam Ward, but they should be monitored throughout the season as potential waiver wire targets in deeper setups.