Who Should I Start? Tyler Conklin or Elijah Arroyo

Friday, March 21, 10:24 PM

Former New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin reached an agreement on an undisclosed one-year deal on Friday with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to his agent, Mike McCartney. Conklin heads to the AFC West after spending the last three years with the Jets, where he had 170 catches on 246 targets for 1,622 yards and seven touchdowns in 50 games (43 starts). While the 29-year-old did have a career-high four touchdowns in 16 games (15 starts) last year, he had just 51 catches and 449 yards (his lowest total since 2020) on 72 targets. The former fifth-round selection (157th overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 out of Central Michigan has the opportunity to be the Chargers' top pass-catching tight end in 2025, but he'll also be sharing playing time with Will Dissly. Dissly had a very similar 50-481-2 line to Conklin a year ago in L.A. Expect Conklin to be a touchdown-dependent TE2 in fantasy in his new home.

Thursday, May 22, 3:46 PM

Seattle Seahawks rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo was the No. 50 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after securing 35 receptions for 590 yards and seven touchdowns in his final campaign at Miami. The 22-year-old led the Hurricanes in yards per reception (16.9) while catching passes from Cam Ward. So far at OTAs, Seahawks brass is impressed with his ability and versatility. "This guy can run an extensive route tree," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "To have to account for a tight end body on the field and him also to be able to split out wide, do X receiver type of things, bigger body than we probably have right now on our roster, just provides a ton of value." While tight ends often take time to develop in the NFL, Arroyo could operate as a downfield threat for Sam Darnold. Wideouts Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp operate in the short to intermediate parts of the field, so there's room for Arroyo to make splash plays. Arroyo is unlikely to be a consistent fantasy producer in traditional formats, but he could be worth a late-round dart throw in best ball drafts.