Who Should I Start? Lawrence Cager or Jake Tonges

Wednesday, August 7, 1:51 PM

The New York Giants have tons of opportunity at the tight end position this year after Darren Waller's retirement. They are looking to fill the void left by Waller with some combination of Daniel Bellinger, Lawrence Cager (hamstring) and rookie Theo Johnson. Bellinger is likely to be the starter, but Cager or Johnson are likely to be the team's primary pass-catching tight end. Cager started out training camp strong, and head coach Brian Daboll called him one of the standouts in the spring, but a hamstring injury has limited him recently. Johnson has returned after starting camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list with a hip problem. ESPN's Jordan Raanan says it's anyone's job to win this summer. None of the trio of TE options in New York are particularly attractive from a fantasy perspective, but Johnson probably has the most upside if he has a big enough role.

Monday, September 29, 3:31 PM

San Francisco 49ers tight end Jake Tonges (shoulder) caught his second touchdown of the season in the team's 26-21 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday. Tonges left the game just six plays in due to a possible shoulder injury but returned near the end of the first quarter. He finished the game with three catches on five targets and had 58 receiving yards, good for second-most on the team in Week 4. Tonges has emerged as the preferred pass-catching tight end in George Kittle's (hamstring) absence. Both Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ribs/ankle/shoulder) suffered injuries on Sunday, and on a short week (the 49ers face the Rams on Thursday), their status is up in the air. If either or both are limited or absent, then Tonges could see a greater target share than usual.