Does Irv Smith Have Any Fantasy Value With The Bengals?
As I said in the OnlyFans post, I promise I’ll never try to talk you into Irv Smith Jr. again if he stinks this year. The thing is, talent really isn’t the issue. It’s just getting the guy to stay on the field.
Does Irv Smith have any fantasy value with the Bengals? My question to you is, how does he not?
The former Alabama product signed a one-year deal with Cincinnati this offseason. Smith is the new starting tight end in Cincinnati replacing the departed Hayden Hurst. There is no question that Smith is more talented than Hurst (this is someone I was very high on coming out of college). The guy just needs to stay on the field.
Smith, 25, is still within the window where tight ends break out. I did a post on this a long time ago. If you pay attention, tight ends never really pop until three years down the line. Sometimes even longer. The lightbulb could easily come on for Smith.
During his four-year career, Smith has notched 91 catches for 858 yards and nine touchdowns. That’s while playing in 37 total games and roughly 1,500 snaps. However, we’re finally transporting Smith into an ideal situation. We’re now talking about transporting Smith into a locked down number one tight end role. We’re now talking about transporting Smith in an offense that features Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd.
I absolutely believe Smith can be a steal in fantasy this year. Burrow has been a tight end friendly fantasy QB in the past. He’s also going to have single coverage the whole game. Smith has always had plus athletic traits (Smith ran a 4.63 at the Combine) and has reliable hands (just five drops on 126 total targets in Minnesota).
We know the deal with fantasy. It feels impossible to find a quality tight end once Travis Kelce comes off the board. If you’re looking for a steal in your draft, Irv Smith is a great target to look at.
