Who Should I Start? Irv Smith Jr. or James Mitchell

Tuesday, August 26, 11:41 AM

Houston Texans tight end Irv Smith Jr. (ankle) has suffered an ankle sprain that could lead to him being placed on injured reserve, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. The Texans already lost some talent at the position earlier this summer when Brevin Jordan (knee) went down with a serious knee injury. Without Smith Jr. and Jordan, 2024 fourth-rounder Cade Stover and recent trade acquisition Harrison Bryant make up the depth behind top tight end Dalton Schultz. Schultz is a low-upside TE2 in fantasy, but his playing time in Houston may be a bit more secure now than it was when the preseason began.

Wednesday, September 24, 6:20 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end James Mitchell has an opportunity to make some noise with Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) expected to miss multiple weeks with a high-ankle sprain, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Tommy Tremble will move to the top of the Panthers' TE depth chart with Sanders injured, but he's more of a blocker than a pass-catcher, so Mitchell might have a chance to make some noise going forward in his first year in Carolina. The 26-year-old former fifth-round selection (177th overall) by the Detroit Lions in 2022 out of Virginia Tech has caught all 13 of his targets for 141 yards and one touchdown in 30 games played (one start) in his three NFL seasons with the Lions before joining the Panthers on a reserve/futures contract back in January. Mitchell is only worth a look on the waiver wire in the deepest of fantasy leagues at the moment.