Who Should I Start? Jonnu Smith or Ja'Tavion Sanders

Friday, November 21, 8:41 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith failed to catch a single pass in Week 11, marking his first game without a reception since Week 4 of last season. Though the matchup against the Chicago Bears is favorable, there is little reason to expect Smith to bounce back to fantasy relevance in Week 12. The Steelers remain unpredictable in how they deploy their tight ends, with Smith, Pat Freiermuth, and Darnell Washington all playing significant snaps. It is clear, however, that Smith's fantasy value is entirely touchdown-dependent, as he has topped 20 receiving yards just four times this year. As the TE29 in RotoBaller's Week 12 rankings, fantasy managers should look elsewhere for a streaming option.

Saturday, November 22, 7:26 PM

Ja'Tavion Sanders logged another mediocre fantasy performance in Week 11. The Carolina TE had four receptions for 22 yards and totaled 6.2 PPR points. Week 12 brings a solid fantasy matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, who rank 25th in Fantasy Points Per Game Allowed to TEs this year. However, Sanders just doesn't produce enough to take advantage of the matchup. He should not be rostered in most fantasy leagues, even as a backup. In 24 games played over the first two seasons of his NFL career, Sanders has caught one TD pass. That sort of TD total just isn't acceptable for a fantasy TE.