Who Should I Start? Luke Farrell or Jeremy Ruckert

Monday, March 10, 4:19 PM

Former Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Luke Farrell agreed to a three-year contract worth up to $20.25 million on Monday with $11 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's an addition for the 49ers in free agency that will bolster their tight end depth behind All-Pro George Kittle, who is no stranger to injuries. The 27-year-old Farrell was a former fifth-round selection (145th overall) by the Jaguars in 2021 out of Ohio State. He had 36 receptions on only 47 targets for 318 yards and no touchdowns in 66 games (20 starts) in his four seasons with Jacksonville. Farrell's best season came in 2023, when he caught 13 of his 15 targets for 155 yards. If Eric Saubert leaves as an unrestricted free agent this year, Farrell will have a better shot at being the primary backup to Kittle when games kick off in Week 1 this fall.

Monday, June 9, 12:26 PM

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt writes that New York Jets tight end Jeremy Ruckert has shown progress as a pass-catcher this offseason. Ruckert was teammates with new quarterback Justin Fields in college at Ohio State, so he's been seeing a heavy workload during organized team activities. Still, Ruckert has plenty to prove coming off three disappointing seasons to start his NFL career, including regressing as a run-blocker last year. "I think he can help us in the passing game, he'll be a really good blocker," had coach Aaron Glenn said. "There's some technical things he can improve on." The 24-year-old former third-rounder (101st overall) in 2022 is still searching for his first NFL touchdown and has caught just 35 of 52 targets for 264 yards in his three seasons. With the Jets taking Mason Taylor in the second round of this year's draft, Ruckert's path to fantasy value is even more of an uphill battle.