Who Should I Start? Jonnu Smith or Theo Johnson

Sunday, January 11, 12:12 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith (glute) was a full participant in practice on Saturday and was cleared from the final injury report, according to Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL Radio. Smith will be active for the Wild-Card matchup against the visiting Houston Texans on Monday night. Even though Darnell Washington (forearm) is done for the year due to injury, Smith is a hard sell for starting fantasy football lineups in playoff formats, especially with receiver DK Metcalf returning from a two-game suspension. The 30-year-old Smith had only one catch on two targets for two yards in the team's Week 18 regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens, and he caught only 38 passes during the regular season for 222 yards and two touchdowns. If you are going to use a TE from Pittsburgh this weekend, it should be Pat Freiermuth.

Friday, January 2, 3:59 PM

New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson (illness) has officially been ruled out for the team's Week 18 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys due to an illness. The 24-year-old also missed New York's Week 17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders due to illness, so he's apparently dealing with a relatively serious ailment. The 3-13 Giants also have little reason to push Johnson before he's fully healthy, which could be a factor in his absence as well. Across 16 games played in 2025, Johnson recorded 45 receptions for 528 yards and five touchdowns on 74 targets. Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger saw a significant increase in playing time in Johnson's absence in Week 17, lining up for 97% of New York's offensive snaps. However, Bellinger hauled in just two receptions for 11 yards on three targets and remains difficult for fantasy managers to trust in Week 18.