Who Should I Start? David Njoku or Ian Thomas

Friday, December 19, 1:15 PM

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (knee) has officially been ruled out for the second straight game and will not dress for the Week 16 contest this Sunday against the visiting Buffalo Bills, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Njoku has not practiced the last two weeks after suffering a knee injury on a touchdown grab in Week 14. It's unclear if he'll be able to play in the final two weeks of the 2025 regular season. The 29-year-old has taken a clear back seat to rookie Harold Fannin Jr. this year, catching just 33 passes on 48 targets for 293 yards and four touchdowns. With Njoku out in last week's blowout loss to the Chicago Bears, Fannin had seven catches on a team-high 14 targets for 48 yards. Fannin will have more TE1 upside for a second straight week this Sunday against Buffalo with Njoku out again.

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.