Who Should I Start? Zach Ertz or Jakobi Meyers

Sunday, March 9, 7:04 AM

Veteran tight end Zach Ertz signed a one-year, $6.25 million contract with the Washington Commanders on Saturday. The deal includes up to $9 million in incentives. Ertz returns to the Commanders after a productive season in 2024 as quarterback Jayden Daniels' safety valve, owning 18% of Washington's target share. The three-time Pro Bowler caught 66 of 91 targets for 674 yards and seven touchdowns over 17 games. It was the first time since 2018 that Ertz played an entire season. With the emergence of Dyami Brown in the postseason and the Commanders trading for wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. in March, Ertz will have more competition for targets in 2025. Despite competing for targets with Terry McLaurin, Samuel, and Brown, Ertz remains a decent fantasy option at the tight end position. As Daniels' primary middle-of-the-field option, Ertz is a high-end TE2 heading into early best-ball drafts.

Friday, May 30, 12:27 PM

The Athletic's Tashan Reed reports that the Las Vegas Raiders are moving their receivers around a lot during voluntary organized team activities. Jakobi Meyers and rookie Jack Bech have lined up frequently at both outside and slot receiver, while Tre Tucker and Dont'e Thornton have mostly been locked in on the outside. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly should be able to get pretty creative with his alignments based on the fact that tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer both have the ability to line up at slot or on the outside. Meyers had the best season of his career in 2024 with 87 catches, 1,027 yards and four touchdowns and is entering the final season of his contract in 2025. The 28-year-old benefitted from a pass-happy offense last year that was often playing from behind. While he gets an upgrade at QB with Geno Smith, the Raiders offense is now expected to be more run-heavy, likely leading to a regression in Meyers' numbers.