Who Should I Start? John Bates or Luke Farrell

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.

Monday, March 10, 4:19 PM

Former Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Luke Farrell agreed to a three-year contract worth up to $20.25 million on Monday with $11 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's an addition for the 49ers in free agency that will bolster their tight end depth behind All-Pro George Kittle, who is no stranger to injuries. The 27-year-old Farrell was a former fifth-round selection (145th overall) by the Jaguars in 2021 out of Ohio State. He had 36 receptions on only 47 targets for 318 yards and no touchdowns in 66 games (20 starts) in his four seasons with Jacksonville. Farrell's best season came in 2023, when he caught 13 of his 15 targets for 155 yards. If Eric Saubert leaves as an unrestricted free agent this year, Farrell will have a better shot at being the primary backup to Kittle when games kick off in Week 1 this fall.