Who Should I Start? Stephen Carlson or Adam Trautman

Saturday, September 28, 9:17 PM

The Chicago Bears placed tight end Stephen Carlson (collarbone) on injured reserve Saturday ahead of their Week 4 home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Carlson, who was just signed from the team's practice squad this past Tuesday, suffered a serious collarbone injury during Thursday's practice and will now miss at least the next four contests. The earliest he is eligible to return will be Nov. 3 -- Chicago's Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. It's a crushing blow for the 27-year-old who was slated for his first NFL action since his time back in 2020 with the Cleveland Browns. The Bears will roll out their usual three-man tight-end rotation, with Cole Kmet set to take the majority of the snaps and Gerald Everett and Marcedes Lewis working in behind him.

Saturday, November 2, 5:26 PM

Denver Broncos tight end Adam Trautman came out of nowhere to catch all four of his targets for 85 yards and his first touchdown of the year in the Week 8 win over the Carolina Panthers, but fantasy managers shouldn't be tricked into thinking he's a good TE2 streaming option as the Broncos head on the road to take on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9. Before last Sunday's impressive performance, Trautman had just two catches for 32 yards in the first seven weeks. In addition to Trautman, TE Lucas Krull caught both of his targets for 18 yards. The 27-year-old is rostered in 0% of Yahoo leagues despite his big Week 8 stat line and the fact that a struggling Ravens defense has allowed the eight-most half-PPR fantasy points to the position this year. It's a long shot that Trautman will stand out for fantasy managers a second straight week.