Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Ian Thomas

Saturday, September 13, 11:15 AM

New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper can be left on waivers in most fantasy leagues ahead of his Week 2 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. New England does operate out of two-tight end sets often, which allowed Hooper to have plenty of fantasy-relevant showings in 2024. However, we have not seen him demonstrate as much productivity this season as he caught his lone target for 10 yards in the season opener. Even though he works his way onto the field, Hooper is a rung below fellow tight end Hunter Henry in the pecking order. He can be avoided in Week 2.

Tuesday, March 25, 1:32 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Tuesday that they signed free-agent tight end Ian Thomas (calf) to an undisclosed deal on Tuesday. Thomas will head to the AFC West after spending the first seven years of his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers after they selected him in the fourth round (101st overall) in the 2018 NFL draft out of Indiana. The 28-year-old never really established himself as a fantasy asset in Carolina, with his best season coming in his rookie campaign with a 36-333-2 line on 49 targets in 16 games (six starts). Thomas landed on Injured Reserve in 2024 with a calf injury and only caught three of six targets for seven yards in five games (two starts). He scored four touchdowns in his first three seasons but hasn't found the end zone since. In Vegas, he'll provide TE depth behind Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer and will remain off the fantasy radar.