Who Should I Start? Ross Dwelley or John Bates

Friday, May 2, 4:17 PM

The San Francisco 49ers have agreed to a one-year contract with former Atlanta Falcons tight end Ross Dwelley. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the news, but did not disclose the monetary details. The 30-year-old spent his first seven campaigns in the league with San Francisco and will return after a one-year stint with the Falcons. Dwelley appeared in all 17 games last season, but he played only 105 snaps (9.19%) -- snagging his only target for a gain of five yards. He did most of his damage -- snap-wise -- on special teams, but was still only on the field roughly a third of the time (37.22% of snaps). It's possible the 49ers brought him on due to his familiarity with their system, but he doesn't project to make an impact in the receiving column. He'll serve as a depth piece for the organization.

Friday, December 19, 1:18 PM

Washington Commanders tight end John Bates stepped into a near full-time role last week against the New York Giants with Zach Ertz (knee) out for the year with a torn ACL. Bates played 42 of 61 snaps (69%) and ran a route on 13 of 26 dropbacks (50%) while recording one catch for 19 yards on one target. The 28-year-old has operated as Washington's top blocking tight end this season, but will take on more responsibility as a receiver with Ertz out of the picture. Bates has never been an impactful pass-catcher at the NFL level, though, with a career high of just four catches in a game, a single-game best of 46 yards, and two total touchdowns in 79 career games. He should continue to see steady playing time in Week 16 with third-string TE Colson Yankoff (ankle) also out this week, but he could cede more receiving work to second-year tight end Ben Sinnott down the stretch, given Sinnott's Day 2 draft capital and better athletic profile. Bates shouldn't be considered as a viable fantasy option for Saturday's divisional matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.