Who Should I Start? Jonnu Smith or Jake Ferguson

Friday, July 25, 5:50 PM

Brooke Pryor of ESPN reports that Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith (undisclosed) was working in individual periods at training camp on Friday but did not work with the position group for the second wave of individual periods, which is basically the same participation level that he had on Thursday. Head coach Mike Tomlin said that Smith is day-to-day with an unspecified injury that doesn't sound very serious. The 29-year-old had a career year in 2024 with the Miami Dolphins, catching 88 passes on 111 targets for 884 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (six starts), and now he'll reunite with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who he's played for in Tennessee and Atlanta. Fantasy managers are going to need to downgrade Jonnu in fantasy this year, though, as he will probably struggle to find weekly value while sharing targets with Pat Freiermuth.

Sunday, July 27, 11:05 AM

The Dallas Cowboys and standout tight end Jake Ferguson agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension on Sunday worth $52 million in new money with $30 million total guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Ferguson will receive a $12 million signing bonus. The 26-year-old took a step back in 2024, catching 59 of 86 targets for 494 yards and no touchdowns in 14 starts after going for a 71-761-5 line in 17 games in 2023. He was unable to take the next step due to quarterback Dak Prescott's season-ending hamstring injury. Receiver George Pickens will take valuable targets away from Ferguson in 2025, but as long as both he and Prescott stay healthy, Ferguson should improve on his numbers from a year ago. Fantasy managers should target him as a low-end TE1 if they decide to wait on the position.