Who Should I Start? John Bates or Jake Tonges

Friday, January 24, 6:03 PM

Washington Commanders tight ends John Bates (shoulder) and Ben Sinnott (shoulder) were both removed from Friday's final injury report and will be available on Sunday for the NFC Championship against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles. Zach Ertz (rib) will also be active after practicing in full on Thursday and Friday, so neither Bates nor Sinnott are realistic DFS options for fantasy managers this weekend. The 27-year-old Bates has played through a shoulder injury in both postseason games but has only one catch on three targets for 20 yards to show for it. He had eight grabs on 13 targets for 84 yards and no scores in 17 regular-season games (six starts). Sinnott, meanwhile, has not even been targeted in two playoff games and caught all five of his targets for 28 yards and one touchdown in his first 17 NFL games during the regular season.

Saturday, October 11, 6:24 AM

San Francisco 49ers tight end Jake Tonges tied wide receiver Kendrick Bourne for a team-high 11 targets in Week 5. Tonges turned his looks into seven catches for 41 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco's 26-23 win over the Rams. The tight end was afforded extra opportunities with Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs) inactive due to injuries. In Week 6, Pearsall will again be out, and Jennings is listed as questionable on the 49ers' final injury report. Tonges hasn't been compiling much yardage while standing in for George Kittle (hamstring), but he has scored in three separate games. On Sunday, San Francisco will face the Buccaneers, who allowed two touchdowns each to Dallas Goedert and AJ Barner in their last two games. Tonges has high-end TE2 potential for the contest, so long as Mac Jones (knee, oblique) is able to suit up.