Who Should I Start? Robert Tonyan Jr. or Irv Smith Jr.

Tuesday, August 27, 5:57 PM

The Minnesota Vikings released tight end Robert Tonyan on Tuesday. The Vikings have plenty of tight end depth, with superstar T.J. Hockenson (knee) on the PUP list and Josh Oliver, one of the best backups in the NFL. The 29-year-old spent the first five seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers before playing with the Chicago Bears in 2023. In 2020 he had by far the best season of his career, with 586 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Tonyan, who has only ever played for NFC North teams, has put together a couple of productive seasons and shown that he has plenty of talent. Tonyan will look to latch onto another team but is off the fantasy radar for now in 2024.

Tuesday, August 27, 3:24 PM

The Kansas City Chiefs released former second-round tight end Irv Smith Jr. on Tuesday as they continue to cut their roster down ahead of the 2024 regular season. Smith will now be looking for a new team with less than two weeks before Week 1 kicks off. The 26-year-old was taken 50th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 2019 out of Alabama and has been a bust through his first four seasons, with last year coming with the Cincinnati Bengals. In his four NFL campaigns, Smith has caught 109 of his 152 targets for 973 yards and 10 touchdowns in 49 games played (21 starts). Injuries have gotten in the way, but he also just hasn't performed up to expectations. Behind All-Pro Travis Kelce, the Chiefs will head into the regular season with Noah Gray and rookie Jared Wiley providing them with depth at the position.