Fantasy Football News

The Bears signed TE Robert Tonyan to a 1-year deal. Tonyan spiked for an 11-TD season in 2020 but tore an ACL midway through the 2021 campaign. He made it back for the start of this past season but was barely fantasy relevant, finishing with 53 catches, 470 yards and 2 TDs. Tonyan ranked 29th among 32 qualifying TEs in Pro Football Focus' receiving grades. Perhaps he bounces back in 2023, another year removed from that knee injury. But Tonyan figures to slot in as Chicago's #2 TE as long as Cole Kmet is healthy. Consider Tonyan no more than a TE3 in early fantasy drafts.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers managed only 194 yards on 23-of-35 passing in Sunday's loss to the Commanders. He found RB Aaron Jones for the team's only 2 offensive TDs. WR Allen Lazard was the only other Packer to catch more than 3 passes, before leaving with a shoulder injury. TE Robert Tonyan contributed 3-32 receiving on 4 targets. WR Sammy Watkins returned from IR (hamstring) to catch 2 passes for 36 yards among 4 targets. Rookie Romeo Doubs went catchless on 4 targets. Doubs finished as the clear playing-time leader, with Lazard leaving early and the team missing WRs Randall Cobb and Christian Watson. No member of this pass offense looks attractive for a Week 8 visit to Buffalo.

Packers TE Robert Tonyan (knee) is not listed on the final Week 1 injury report. He was limited in practice all week but is evidently set to play vs. the Vikings on Sunday -- 10-and-a-half months after tearing an ACL. Tonyan just returned to practice in mid-August, so it's unclear if he's ready for a full-time role just yet. Despite Green Bay's WR issues, we'd try not to use Tonyan in Week 1 fantasy lineups.

Update: ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says Tonyan "will likely have a limited role" in the opener.

Matt Schneidman of The Athletic writes that Packers TE Robert Tonyan “may not be ready to play Week 1.” Schneidman adds that he’d be surprised if Tonyan isn’t ready to play by Week 6. The veteran tore his ACL at the end of October, so he’ll be ~10.5 months removed from the injury come Week 1. Tonyan’s not a particularly desirable TE2, even if he’s ready for the opener.

Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com writes that the team feels “fine” about their TE situation. He notes that Robert Tonyan is making “significant progress” with ACL rehab. (Tonyan tore his ACL last October.) Interestingly, GM Brian Gutekunst shouted out TE Tyler Davis, a 2020 UDFA who played 121 snaps last season. “I think we might have found something there,” Gutekunst remarked. Tonyan, 28, posted 5 games with 10 or fewer yards prior to the injury. Don’t count on a major rebound.

Per Packers beat writer Zach Kruse, TE Jace Sternberger “isn’t a lock” to make the team. Kruse writes that the team “clearly wants more consistency” from the 25-year-old. Just last summer, Sternberger looked like a fantasy sleeper at TE. But injuries and the rise of Robert Tonyan now has Sternberger’s roster spot in jeopardy. Oh, and he’s also suspended for the first 2 games of the regular season after violating the league’s substance abuse policy. We'll be curious to see how Sternberger fares if given a fresh start elsewhere, but for now, he's off the fantasy radar.