Who Should I Start? Josiah Deguara or John Bates

Tuesday, May 6, 12:06 AM

The Arizona Cardinals signed free-agent tight end Josiah Deguara to an undisclosed deal on Monday, according to AZCardinals.com's Zach Gershman. Deguara is heading into his sixth NFL season in 2025 after spending the 2024 campaign with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he caught all three of his targets for just 14 yards in 15 games (no starts). The former third-round pick (94th overall) by the Green Bay Packers in the 2020 NFL draft out of Cincinnati will provide tight end depth in Arizona behind starter Trey McBride and backups Tip Reiman and Elijah Higgins. Deguara won't be anywhere near the fantasy radar and will most likely spend most of his time with the Cardinals working on special teams. As a tight end, he has accumulated 50 receptions on 61 targets for 450 yards and two touchdowns in his five NFL seasons over 65 games (10 starts).

Friday, December 19, 1:18 PM

Washington Commanders tight end John Bates stepped into a near full-time role last week against the New York Giants with Zach Ertz (knee) out for the year with a torn ACL. Bates played 42 of 61 snaps (69%) and ran a route on 13 of 26 dropbacks (50%) while recording one catch for 19 yards on one target. The 28-year-old has operated as Washington's top blocking tight end this season, but will take on more responsibility as a receiver with Ertz out of the picture. Bates has never been an impactful pass-catcher at the NFL level, though, with a career high of just four catches in a game, a single-game best of 46 yards, and two total touchdowns in 79 career games. He should continue to see steady playing time in Week 16 with third-string TE Colson Yankoff (ankle) also out this week, but he could cede more receiving work to second-year tight end Ben Sinnott down the stretch, given Sinnott's Day 2 draft capital and better athletic profile. Bates shouldn't be considered as a viable fantasy option for Saturday's divisional matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.