Who Should I Start? Jonnu Smith or Tyler Conklin

Tuesday, August 12, 6:05 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that wide receiver Calvin Austin III (abdomen) and tight end Jonnu Smith (knee) are considered day-to-day. "Hopefully they're back sooner rather than later," Tomlin said. The head coach categorized Smith's injury as knee soreness, while Austin is working through a minor abdominal issue. It remains to be seen if either play will suit up for the second preseason game on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but even if they don't, they should be ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener in early September. Austin has the inside track to be the WR2 behind DK Metcalf this year, but that role is still unlikely to give the 26-year-old enough volume to make him an every-week starter in fantasy. Meanwhile, Smith lost most of his fantasy appeal in the offseason trade from Miami to Pittsburgh.

Friday, March 21, 10:24 PM

Former New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin reached an agreement on an undisclosed one-year deal on Friday with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to his agent, Mike McCartney. Conklin heads to the AFC West after spending the last three years with the Jets, where he had 170 catches on 246 targets for 1,622 yards and seven touchdowns in 50 games (43 starts). While the 29-year-old did have a career-high four touchdowns in 16 games (15 starts) last year, he had just 51 catches and 449 yards (his lowest total since 2020) on 72 targets. The former fifth-round selection (157th overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 out of Central Michigan has the opportunity to be the Chargers' top pass-catching tight end in 2025, but he'll also be sharing playing time with Will Dissly. Dissly had a very similar 50-481-2 line to Conklin a year ago in L.A. Expect Conklin to be a touchdown-dependent TE2 in fantasy in his new home.