Who Should I Start? Ja'Tavion Sanders or Zach Heins

Saturday, December 21, 2:49 PM

Carolina Panthers rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders should be viewed as a risky TE2 in Week 16 when he faces the Arizona Cardinals. Over his previous two contests, Sanders has seen just two total targets and has been unable to bring in any of them. However, during Weeks 5 through 12, Sanders saw solid 4.1 targets per game and averaged 8.2 PPR points per game during this span. He tallied at least 40+ receiving yards in four of these seven games. However, as of late, Sanders as not been very involved in the Carolina passing attack. Dynasty managers should continue to hold onto him as he has shown upside at times throughout his rookie campaign. For now, he should remain out of all lineups given his unreliable target share and tough matchup as the Cardinals have allowed the fourth-fewest PPR points to the tight end position.

Thursday, July 11, 4:37 PM

Former South Dakota State University tight end Zach Heins signed with the Los Angeles Chargers after being unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft. After a slow start to his collegiate career, Heins caught 56 passes for 757 yards and 11 touchdowns over the last two seasons. With the Chargers, he's in one of the weaker tight end rooms in the NFL, and Daniel Popper of the Athletic believes he has a shot to make the 53-man roster following training camp. "Heins, out of South Dakota State, is over 6-foot-6 and 259 pounds. He projects as a capable inline blocker. The Chargers have been very clear about wanting to build a physical and imposing running game," Popper wrote. "To do that consistently, they need run blockers at tight end. They signed an elite run blocker in free agency in Will Dissly. But I think they need more run-blocking behind Dissly." It sounds like Heins won't be much of a pass-catcher if he makes the roster, but he should still be on the fantasy radar in ultra-deep leagues if he's active in Week 1. The Chargers could opt to carry four tight ends on game day, so he'll need to beat out one of Dissly, Hayden Hurst, Donald Parham Jr., or Stone Smartt.