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Yes, there is an article openly speculating on the efficacy of starting Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith right now, he in 2024. Seriously. He's the TE5 on the season and has been one of the biggest surprises of the year, providing hope to all those who had been sinking deeper into the quicksand that is the tight end hell-scape.
And yet, the fantasy gods saveth only to... unsaveth, by ripping away good production from your players with cruelty in the form of injuries. It's not Smith who's hurt, but his starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa (hip). He was declared as "Doubtful" by the team for Sunday's game.
So let's talk about sad things now. I.e. whether you should bench your star tight end.
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Jonnu Smith Fantasy Football Outlook
His value takes a... wait, is there hope? Sort of? Smith actually scored 3.8, 0.0, 11.1, and 22.6 PPR fantasy points in Weeks 3-7, the games that backup quarterback Tyler Huntley played in. And Huntley will step in to play in relief of Tagovailoa this week.
Joe Flacco would be up 2 scores by now, but instead Tyler Huntley is scoring on the Colts. pic.twitter.com/SKw7ZeBj30
— lindsey ok (@lindseyyok) October 20, 2024
Unfortunately, he was the signal-caller for the goose egg Smith laid in Week 4. But the other two games are encouraging! Still, it becomes extremely difficult to predict what will happen. Luckily, there is one key factor that makes the decision much easier for us.
Should I Start Jonnu Smith in Week 17?
For the most part, despite how much of a downgrade the Dolphins are undergoing at quarterback for Week 17, Smith is still a fine player to start because there are just so few tight ends that can score many fantasy points. In most leagues, there are probably not any better options on waivers.
Jonnu Smith … fantasy steal of the year
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/5dJwacc8bP
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) December 15, 2024
Also, he's definitely a good pass-catcher, and his ability to excel gaining yards after the catch is important here. Huntley probably won't be throwing the ball down the field much (he really can't do it well). That could mean more dump-offs, short passes, and the like.
And he'll probably be motivated to get the ball to his TE1, who is capable of turning short gains into much longer plays. So yeah, we'd probably still start him. But there's plenty of risk.
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