Who Should I Start? Tyler Conklin or Ja'Tavion Sanders

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.

Monday, July 21, 9:19 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders "lost 10 pounds during the offseason and looked faster during OTAs," according to Joseph Person of The Athletic. Carolina drafted Sanders in the fourth round out of Texas in 2024. He appeared in 16 games (eight starts) as a rookie, logging 33 catches for 342 yards and one touchdown. Sanders should have an opportunity to earn significant playing time in his second season. His main competition at tight end in Carolina is Tommy Tremble, who has recorded 23 receptions in each of the past two seasons, and Mitchell Evans, a fifth-round selection by the team in this year's draft. With a good training camp and preseason, Sanders could be an intriguing late-round dart throw at the tight end position in deeper leagues.