Who Should I Start? Jake Ferguson or Jeremy Ruckert

Friday, June 20, 3:19 PM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson recently divulged to Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the knee injury he sustained in Week 1 of 2024 was a season-long issue. However, he isn't using that as an excuse for his subpar campaign. "My knee hurt, for sure," said Ferguson. "The concussion was weird. But I've said this before: if I'm on the field, I should be able to give it my all." After a strong 2023 (71/761/5), the 26-year-old regressed last season -- failing to score a touchdown or top 500 yards in 14 appearances. He's an excellent bounce-back candidate ahead of 2025, with head coach Brian Schottenheimer noting, "the look in his eyes and the way his body looks...the way he's moving has been noticeably different in a good way." Ferguson will have the newly acquired George Pickens to contend with for targets this year, but the Cowboys' lack of appeal in their RB room could signal a third straight season with a top 12 passing rate in the league.

Monday, June 9, 12:26 PM

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt writes that New York Jets tight end Jeremy Ruckert has shown progress as a pass-catcher this offseason. Ruckert was teammates with new quarterback Justin Fields in college at Ohio State, so he's been seeing a heavy workload during organized team activities. Still, Ruckert has plenty to prove coming off three disappointing seasons to start his NFL career, including regressing as a run-blocker last year. "I think he can help us in the passing game, he'll be a really good blocker," had coach Aaron Glenn said. "There's some technical things he can improve on." The 24-year-old former third-rounder (101st overall) in 2022 is still searching for his first NFL touchdown and has caught just 35 of 52 targets for 264 yards in his three seasons. With the Jets taking Mason Taylor in the second round of this year's draft, Ruckert's path to fantasy value is even more of an uphill battle.