Who Should I Start? Noah Gray or Colston Loveland

Saturday, January 25, 10:05 PM

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray is a low-floor desperation play in this Sunday's Conference Championship bout with the Buffalo Bills. Gray had a stretch of four games in the middle of the season when he snagged four touchdowns and nabbed at least four passes per contest. However, he's since caught just eight balls while seeing his snap percentage drop roughly 10-20% per outing. The drop in playing time coincides with the return of wide receiver Marquise Brown, so it makes sense that the 25-year-old has had his work cut some. He'll still be eligible to catch a short-area TD or two, but by and large, is tough to trust from a volume standpoint in a passing attack that hasn't been all that effective this season. Gray can be safely avoided for fantasy purposes, even in a game that should feature a healthy amount of points.

Thursday, May 22, 10:39 PM

Chicago Bears rookie first-round tight end Colston Loveland (shoulder) was present but not participating during Thursday's OTA practice as he recovers from a shoulder injury, according to The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns. Loveland had surgery on his right shoulder in January to fix an AC joint dislocation and isn't ready for on-field work just yet. It's unclear if the 21-year-old 10th overall pick will be ready to take part in mandatory minicamp in early June, but the expectation is that he'll be ready to rock for the start of training camp at the end of July. The Bears still have Cole Kmet at the tight end position, but Loveland should have an immediate big role on offense in his rookie season as long as he's healthy. The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder is an excellent pass-catcher and has a high ceiling at the next level, but fantasy managers in redraft leagues should temper expectations in Year 1.