Who Should I Start? Mike Gesicki or Jake Ferguson

Tuesday, December 30, 3:00 PM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki has seen his snap share drop steadily over the past three games. Now, with nothing but divisional pride on the line in a Week 18 matchup with the Browns, there is no guarantee of playing time for the 30-year-old veteran in the first year of the three-year deal he signed this offseason. For fantasy managers still playing into Week 18, there are more alluring names to be found on the waiver wire, with a pleasant number of NFL teams still playing for something in the final week of the regular season. Gesicki did finish as the TE2 as recently as Week 14, so he does represent a ceiling uncommon to the waiver wire, but with an unclear picture of how the Bengals are approaching the end of the season, he is best viewed as a desperation-only play in deeper leagues.

Friday, January 2, 7:54 PM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (calf) has been removed from the Week 18 injury report and will play in Sunday's regular-season finale against the division-rival New York Giants. Ferguson didn't practice on Wednesday, was limited on Thursday, and upgraded to a full practice on Friday. The 26-year-old will be active this weekend, but after not finishing last week's Christmas Day win over the Washington Commanders, the Cowboys probably are in no hurry to play Ferguson the same as they normally would in a meaningless game. Fantasy managers should consider him to be a very volatile streaming option at the position, especially since quarterback Dak Prescott might not play a full game. Ferguson was a big part of Dallas' high-scoring offense in 2025, setting career-highs in catches (81) and touchdown receptions (eight) while racking up 595 receiving yards in 16 games.