1 year agoCincinnati Bengals tight end Irv Smith Jr. will enter the 2023 season as the starter and replacement for new Carolina Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst. The 24-year-old signed a one-year $1.75 million contract at the end of this past March and enters the season with no real competition for starting reps. Any starting role in a passing game led by quarterback Joe Burrow presents the chance to post solid fantasy production, and Smith Jr. could not have asked for a better landing spot. The fifth-year tight end has been bitten by the injury bug the past three seasons, missing all of 2021 and nine games last year. 2020 was Smith Jr.'s most productive season, scoring five touchdowns on only 30 receptions, but he has not looked the same since tearing his meniscus. That injury happened nearly two years ago, giving fantasy managers hope that the fresh start in Cincinnati will produce positive results. Hurst was targeted 68 times in 13 games last season and accumulated 11.5% of the team's total target share. Smith Jr. has never seen more than 50 targets in a single season, so this will assuredly be his best shot at succeeding for fantasy purposes. He is an excellent flier at the end of drafts for those who like to punt the position, and managers should keep an eye on him as a potential waiver wire addition in the early weeks of the regular season.--Ryan Larrison - RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller