Jonnu

Smith

It was a career year for Smith, who caught 88 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns – all career-highs – in his first season with the Dolphins. The explosive tight end bucked the trend of low-producing tight ends in Mike McDaniel’s offense and instead finished with the second-most targets (109) on the team while also ranking second in receiving yards. Smith joined the Dolphins on a two-year contract this offseason, and immediately looks like one of the best values at the position heading into 2025. We’ll see if he earns an extension after this season, but Smith, who turns 30 next summer, will have plenty of buzz as a TE1 next fantasy season.

Smith was nearly a ghost for three-and-a-half quarters, entering the game’s final four minutes with just 19 yards on two receptions. The typically-reliable tight end made good on his season-long promise though, icing the game with a late seven-yard score. He remains a TE1 entering a Week 18 matchup against the Jets.

Smith was a primary target of Tua Tagovailoa’s once again this week, trailing Tyreek Hill and De’Von Achane by just one look in the passing game. The veteran tight end has at least 40 yards in eight grams games with two 100-yard performances over that stretch. Miami’s descent into the depths of PPR scamming has turned Smith into an every-week TE1 with both an elite floor and ceiling. He will remain a top-five fantasy tight end when the Dolphins take on the Browns in Week 17.

Smith looked extremely smooth on a touchdown thrown away from his frame in the red zone on fourth-and-2, and continued to be the middle-of-field attacker for the Dolphins. Jonnu has gone over 100 yards or scored in every game since Week 11. He will remain an easy TE1 against the 49ers in Week 16 after another terrific fantasy box score.

Smith, one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL over the past month, was targeted once and did not record a reception in regulation. The Dolphins remembered they had Smith on the roster in overtime as he caught two screens for a combined 24 yards before coming down with a ten yard touchdown for the win. Smith, who came into Week 14 with 25 catches over his past three games, ran a route on 41 of Miami’s 52 drop backs. He’ll be a must-play option in Week 15 against Houston.

Smith earned new season-highs in receptions and yards this week while tying the high-water mark in targets he set less than a week ago. Unsurprisingly, Smith led the Dolphins with a 24 percent target share. It was the third game in a row that Smith tied or outright led Miami in targets. The Dolphins have fully abandoned their explosive passing game and are instead relying on underneath looks that generate YAC to move the ball. That has been a disastrous development for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle but is pushing Smith to the top of weekly tight end ranks. He will slot in as a top-five fantasy tight end for his Week 14 date with the Jets.

We’ve been saying this for a few weeks now, but this Jonnu Smith production is not a fluke. He started getting more involved in the Dolphins’ offense when Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined, but the Dolphins have since morphed into a quick-hitting passing attack, which has favored Smith’s athleticism. He also possesses a physicality that few other Dolphins’ receivers have, which makes him an ideal red zone target. He is a locked-in TE1 the rest of the way.

Smith got on the board early with a one-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the day. Tua Tagovailoa attempted to find him in the back of the end zone on third down but couldn’t connect. Miami went right back to the well on fourth down for an easy score by bringing Jonnu across the formation on a pre-snap motion play designed for him. He got wide open on a similar play late in the game and was completely lost by the Las Vegas defense. Smith had time to stand around and wait for the pass while hanging out behind the Raiders’ secondary before catching the ball, turning on the jets, and sprinting into the end zone for a 57-yard score. Smith has been an integral part of the Miami offense over the past month and that isn’t likely to change anytime soon. This breakout performance cemented his status as a TE1 heading into Week 12.

Smith was tackled at the one on his final reception of the game, something that could have made his fantasy week much different had he found his way into the end zone. The modest yardage production has become something of an accepted expectation for the veteran tight end, a man who is unlikely to see robust weekly volume in this offense outside of his typical schemed usage. Even so, fantasy managers in deeper leagues could consider Smith one of the more consistent TE2s in the league for that same schemed usage in this offense.

Smith has been at something of a production standstill with Jaylen Waddle since Tua Tagovailoa’s Week 8 return, which really isn’t good news for anybody. It means Smith still isn’t really cracking the top 18 at tight end while Waddle is grossly underperforming what was believed to be a WR2 baseline. Smith is a TE2 with a reasonable enough floor, but he has continued to display zero ceiling.