Who Should I Start? Darren Waller or Ian Thomas

Monday, September 15, 6:31 PM

Although Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller (hip) is not expected to make his debut with the team in Week 3 on Thursday night against the division-rival Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins listed him as limited on Monday's practice estimation. Waller has yet to practice this year and has been inactive for the first two weeks, so his limited status on Monday doesn't mean a whole lot on a short week. The 33-year-old was focusing on his conditioning for all of training camp and the preseason before suffering a hip injury right before Week 1. Whenever he is finally cleared to make his 2025 debut after coming out of retirement, the Dolphins will likely limit his snaps, making him one to avoid in starting fantasy lineups. The Dolphins are expected to move forward with Julian Hill and Tanner Conner at the position on Thursday, but neither TE is a realistic fantasy play.

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.