Who Should I Start? Jonnu Smith or Kyle Pitts Sr.

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.

Tuesday, November 25, 10:46 PM

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. recorded two catches for 25 scoreless yards in Sunday's 24-10 win over the Saints. While the result was disappointing, the silver lining was that with five targets, the 25-year-old led the team in that statistic. The same was true the last time Kirk Cousins was the starter in Week 8 against the Dolphins, a game that Drake London (knee) also missed as he did on Sunday. It's not clear whether or not London will be back in Week 13, but if he were to miss the contest, Pitts could be the frontrunner for targets again, so it will be imperative to watch the injury reports this week. Cousins may spread the ball around a bit more than Michael Penix Jr. did, though, which could limit the production of the receiving corps, including Pitts. The 6-foot-6 tight end has just one touchdown on the season, so even fewer targets could push him into TE2 territory for Week 13's matchup with the Jets, a defense that is middle of the pack in terms of fantasy points allowed to tight ends.