Who Should I Start? Noah Fant or Josh Oliver

Saturday, August 16, 11:27 AM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Noah Fant will play in Monday's second preseason game against the Washington Commanders, head coach Zac Taylor told the media. It'll be Fant's preseason debut and first in-game action with the Bengals, who picked him up in free agency on July 31. The 27-year-old is a proven veteran who has amassed 288 catches and 15 touchdowns over six seasons between Denver and Seattle, but he figures to serve as Cincinnati's No. 2 tight end. Starter Mike Gesicki (hamstring) has been dealing with a hamstring injury and won't play Monday, though that injury is unlikely to keep him out of regular-season action. If it does, Fant's a good fallback option to have.

Tuesday, June 10, 1:52 PM

The Minnesota Vikings signed tight end Josh Oliver to a three-year, $23.25 million contract extension on Tuesday with a maximum value of $27.5 million, according to Athletes First's Andrew Kessler. The deal includes $11.9 million in new guarantees and $19.5 million in total guarantees. With T.J. Hockenson missing time due to injury in 2024, Oliver had 22 receptions on 28 targets for a career-high 258 yards and three touchdowns in 15 regular-season games (12 starts), but it still wasn't enough to move the fantasy needle. The 28-year-old former third-rounder (69th overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2019 NFL draft out of San Jose State excels as a run-blocker and will primarily be used in that role again in 2025. And now that Hockenson will be ready for the start of this season, we'd expect Oliver to be less involved as a pass-catcher.