Who Should I Start? Zach Ertz or Harold Fannin Jr.

Friday, October 31, 11:50 PM

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz has seen six or more targets in three straight games since his no-catch performance in Week 5 against the Chargers. The veteran tight end continues to be a reliable threat in the red zone, leading the team with four receiving touchdowns. The 34-year-old will be happy to have second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels back as the starter, who he has been more productive with compared to backup Marcus Mariota. Ertz has uncharacteristically had multiple costly drops this season. The veteran has already totaled five drops in only eight games this season, more than he had all of last year and one off of his career high of six back in 2021. Ertz will likely see a solid target share with top wideout Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) out, and it's a decent matchup against a Seattle defense that has allowed 47 receptions to opposing tight ends, tied for seventh most. Ertz is ranked as RotoBaller's TE13 in PPR formats for Sunday Night Football.

Sunday, October 26, 7:41 PM

Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. led the team with eight targets, six catches, 62 yards, and one touchdown during Sunday's Week 8 loss against the New England Patriots. The rookie was one of two Browns tight ends to score on National Tight Ends' Day, joining David Njoku. Unfortunately for the Browns, Fannin and Njoku were responsible for all of the scoring as Cleveland executed just two scoring drives in their 32-13 loss to the Patriots. Fannin has emerged as a viable starting tight end in fantasy football, ranking as the overall TE5 in PPR leagues so far. It's not often that we see a rookie tight end produce at such a high level, especially when they are operating in tandem with another tight end (Njoku) in a subpar offense. Nevertheless, Fannin has been one of Dillon Gabriel's favorite targets and will continue to rank as a mid-to-low TE1 on the other side of Cleveland's Week 9 bye.