Who Should I Start? Mike Gesicki or Jelani Woods

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.

Wednesday, August 27, 1:31 PM

The New York Jets claimed tight end Jelani Woods off waivers on Wednesday from the Indianapolis Colts, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Woods did not make the Colts' final 53-man roster heading into the 2025 season, and now he'll look to make his return to NFL action with the Jets for the first time since 2022. The 26-year-old will be competing for TE2 duties with Jeremy Ruckert in New York behind rookie first-rounder Mason Taylor. Woods, a former third-round pick (73rd overall) in 2022, caught 25 of 40 targets for 312 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games (two starts) in his rookie season with Indy. However, a serious hamstring injury caused him to miss each of the last two years, causing the Colts to move on. Woods would only be worth a look on the waiver wire in fantasy this year if Taylor misses time with an injury.