Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Durham Smythe

Saturday, November 1, 6:04 AM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle caught four passes for 43 yards and a touchdown in Week 8. The stat line was not outstanding, but it was enough to qualify as one of the few bright spots for the team on a day where they generated just 223 net yards on offense. Kittle ranked third on the team with five targets, behind Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs, shoulder) and Christian McCaffrey, and will be in the mix to lead the team in targets in Week 9 against the Giants. Mac Jones (knee) has been tabbed to start while Brock Purdy (toe) is listed as questionable. Jones has been unafraid to throw this season (37.7 pass attempts/game), and he kept his tight end Jake Tonges in the picture while Kittle was on the shelf (6.5 targets/game in Jones' starts). Kittle is projected as a TE1 with top-five upside and should be plugged into starting lineups for Week 9.

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.