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Jonnu Smith start or sit: Week 1 fantasy football advice

We go over the fantasy football outlook of Jonnu Smith ahead of the New England Patriots Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

New England Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith (81) runs the ball after a catch against the Washington Football Team during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

Jonnu Smith had about a day when he was the most talked-about tight end in football because he signed a huge, three-year, $50 million deal with the New England Patriots. Smith had his best season in 2020 and the Patriots had to be salivating at his eight receiving touchdowns because they only had 12 as a team last year. Smith’s hype was short-lived as Hunter Henry also signed with the Patriots in free agency, but because he is dealing with an injury, Smith seems like the guy at least this week.

Fantasy Football analysis: Patriots TE Jonnu Smith

Smith played a crucial part of the 2020 Tennessee Titans dominant offense and was a popular target of former teammate Ryan Tannehill. Smith was able to finish the 2020 season as the TE9 in standard fantasy football leagues. While Smith’s season-long performance was admirable, he wasn’t known for his consistency. Smith had six weeks of at least 10 fantasy points in half-PPR leagues, but that means he had nine where he totaled fewer than 10 points. Hopefully, this change of scenery will allow Smith to be more consistent.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

Smith is worthy of a start this week as rookie quarterbacks are known to lean on tight ends in early starts of their careers, and you can expect Mac Jones to be no different.