Who Should I Start? David Njoku or Ian Thomas

Friday, December 12, 1:30 PM

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (knee) has officially been ruled out for his team's Week 15 matchup against the Chicago Bears due to a knee injury. The 29-year-old aggravated an existing knee injury during Cleveland's Week 14 loss to the Tennessee Titans, and he will now be sidelined for at least one game as a result. Without Njoku, Browns rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. profiles as a must-start fantasy tight end. With Njoku banged up in Week 14, Fannin Jr. hauled in eight receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. In Njoku's lone missed game this season, Week 7 against the Miami Dolphins, Fannin Jr. earned a 27.8% target share. Depending on how long Njoku is sidelined by his current injury, Fannin Jr. could have league-winning upside.

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.