Who Should I Start? Jonnu Smith or Mark Andrews

Saturday, August 23, 1:37 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith (knee) is back in uniform at practice on Saturday after missing the entire preseason with a knee injury, according to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. This will be Smith's first practice since tweaking his knee on Aug. 5. The 30-year-old should be on track to play in the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday, Sept. 7, against the New York Jets. However, after a career year in 2024 with the Miami Dolphins, Smith's fantasy value took a huge hit after being traded to Pittsburgh in the offseason. He should still be involved in offenive coordinator Arthur Smith's system, but he's expected to take a back seat to incumbent Pat Friermuth. In single-TE fantasy formats, managers can avoid Smith on draft day. Outside of his 88-884-8 line last year, Smith's best season was a 50-582-3 line the year prior in Atlanta.

Wednesday, August 27, 6:11 PM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (undisclosed) returned to practice on Monday, according to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec. Andrews missed Monday's practice with an undisclosed issue, but the fact that he is back on the field a day later suggests it was very minor. Even though Andrews had a costly fumble and dropped pass in last year's Divisional Round loss to the Buffalo Bills in the postseason, the 29-year-old remains in play as a midrange TE1 target as one of quarterback Lamar Jackson's favorite options through the air, especially with Isaiah Likely (foot) potentially missing the start of the regular season. The three-time Pro Bowler finished 2024 with 55 catches for 673 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns on 69 targets over 17 regular-season games (13 starts). Fantasy managers can't expect double-digit TDs again, but Andrews has had at least six scores in all but two of his seven seasons.