Who Should I Start? John Stephens Jr. or Zach Heins

Friday, September 6, 9:43 PM

Dallas Cowboys tight end John Stephens Jr. (hamstring) has been officially ruled out of Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns. Stephens Jr. picked up the injury this week at practice, appearing on the Cowboys' first injury report of the season. It's a tough development for the second-year TE, as he missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL. However, this should not affect Dallas' game plan as he is the fourth of four tight ends held by Dallas. The 24-year-old is the only player on the Cowboys' active roster not available for the team's road opener this Sunday. The former Horned Frog was also the only player not participating in Wednesday's practice. A week of rest should do the young tight end some good as he'll look to return to health in anticipation of Dallas' home opener against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.

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.