Who Should I Start? Jonnu Smith or Tucker Kraft

Friday, January 9, 5:18 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith (glute) was added to the injury report on Friday and was listed as a limited participant in practice, according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor. It's unclear if Smith injured his glute in practice on Friday, but either way, his status for Monday night's Wild-Card game against the visiting Houston Texans is now up in the air. We should have a better idea of his availability after Pittsburgh's final practice of the week on Saturday. With Darnell Washington (forearm) out of the picture the rest of the way, Pat Freiermuth would be the team's clear pass-catching tight end on Monday if Smith is unable to play. In offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's multi-TE system, Smith struggled to produce in 2025 after a career year with the Dolphins in 2024. He had just 38 catches for 222 yards and two touchdowns for the Steelers during the regular season, and Smith should be ignored in fantasy lineups if he's active, especially with receiver DK Metcalf returning from a two-game suspension.

Monday, November 3, 12:07 PM

Tests on Monday confirmed that Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (knee) suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee in Sunday's Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's a massive blow to the Packers and fantasy managers, as Kraft was in the midst of a breakout campaign in 2025. The 25-year-old former third-round pick will now finish his third year in the NFL with 32 catches on 44 targets for 489 yards and six touchdowns in eight games played. Kraft was coming off a massive seven-catch, 143-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Week 8 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Kraft now done for the year, Luke Musgrave becomes a waiver-wire target for fantasy managers in need of help at the TE position. Receivers Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, and Matthew Golden should also see more targets in the passing game going forward.