Who Should I Start? Noah Gray or Mason Taylor

Friday, August 8, 10:40 AM

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray has looked very strong in training camp and is receiving strong buzz from reports. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted that the tight end looks like a "high-end" starter. Throughout his four-year career in Kansas City, Gray has typically taken the backseat to future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce. However, after catching just 28 passes in both 2022 and 2023, Gray was able to enjoy a mini-breakout season in 2024. Last fall, Gray caught a career-best 40 passes for 437 yards and five touchdowns. He enjoyed productive stretch from Weeks 10 through 15 when he averaged a solid 10.2 PPR points per game. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on his progression early in the season as he could continue to carve out a role behind Kelce. However, for now, Kelce remains the clear TE1 in Kansas City. Gray is best viewed as a high-upside TE3 in deeper formats.

Tuesday, September 16, 11:54 AM

As expected, New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor is far and away the team's TE1, although it hasn't amounted to much on the stat sheet. After leading teammates Jeremy Ruckert and Andrew Beck in snaps by a wide margin in their loss to the Steelers in Week 1, the same was true in their outing with the Buffalo Bills. Ruckert (17) again played half as much as Taylor (34), with Beck mixing in minimally (one). However, Taylor and Ruckert mimicked each other's production with a one-catch, five-yard line - the only difference being that the former accrued one more target (two) and the latter a touchdown. The favorable bet seems to be that the rookie continues to lead this room in playing time. He'll have a chance to carve out a role in the passing game, considering the Jets' skill players don't offer much behind wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall. Still, fantasy managers can't take the LSU product seriously for starting purposes until he averages more than one catch per appearance. He'll face the hosting Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday.