Who Should I Start? Zach Ertz or Jonnu Smith

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, July 25, 5:50 PM

Brooke Pryor of ESPN reports that Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith (undisclosed) was working in individual periods at training camp on Friday but did not work with the position group for the second wave of individual periods, which is basically the same participation level that he had on Thursday. Head coach Mike Tomlin said that Smith is day-to-day with an unspecified injury that doesn't sound very serious. The 29-year-old had a career year in 2024 with the Miami Dolphins, catching 88 passes on 111 targets for 884 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (six starts), and now he'll reunite with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who he's played for in Tennessee and Atlanta. Fantasy managers are going to need to downgrade Jonnu in fantasy this year, though, as he will probably struggle to find weekly value while sharing targets with Pat Freiermuth.