Who Should I Start? Jonnu Smith or George Kittle

Saturday, January 4, 10:02 AM

Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith remains an appealing fantasy option ahead of Sunday's Week 18 contest against the New York Jets. There are many moving parts ahead of the Dolphins' regular-season finale, including the injury statuses of key offensive weapons such as Tua Tagovailoa (hip), Jaylen Waddle (knee), and Tyreek Hill (wrist, illness). As it stands, Tagovailoa is expected to be sidelined, leaving Tyler Huntley as the Dolphins' starting quarterback for the second week in a row. Smith saw a significantly reduced target share with Huntley under center last week, catching three of four targets for 26 yards. He had his lowest target total, reception total, yardage total, and snap share since Week 10. However, he managed to snag a touchdown pass in the win, salvaging his fantasy performance and giving him seven consecutive games with double-digit fantasy points (PPR). He ranks as the overall TE4 this season, and while the insertion of Huntley under center does lower Smith's ceiling and floor, we still view the 29-year-old tight end as a top-eight fantasy option at his position heading into Week 18.

Sunday, January 5, 11:54 PM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ankle, hamstring) was outproduced by his backup Eric Saubert during the team's 47-24 loss to the Cardinals in Arizona. Kittle caught two of three targets for 27 yards. The affable team captain was questionable and ultimately activated but had his snap count reduced in the meaningless game. Most likely, the 49ers organization was showing appreciation to Kittle by giving him the start since he has a $500,000 per-game roster bonus in his contract. Kittle finishes an excellent season as the overall half-PPR TE2, behind only Las Vegas Raiders rookie Brock Bowers and just ahead of Arizona's Trey McBride. He amassed 78 receptions, 1,106 yards, and eight touchdowns in 2024. He was hyper-efficient this year, setting career marks in catch percentage and yards per target. Kittle will enter his age-32 season in 2025 once again as a fantasy TE1 with San Francisco.