Who Should I Start? Hayden Hurst or Ian Thomas

Saturday, January 11, 3:09 PM

According to the team, Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hayden Hurst and rookie running back Kimani Vidal are both inactive for Saturday's playoff game against the Houston Texans. Both Hurst and Vidal were not on the injury report but will sit out during the opening game of the NFL playoffs. Hurst has appeared in only nine games this season and averaged a mere 1.4 targets per game. Fantasy managers should expect Will Dissly to operate as the clear TE1 on Saturday afternoon. With Vidal sitting out, fantasy managers should expect J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards to lead the backfield. Dobbins carries RB1 upside in this match, while Hurst should be viewed as a TE2.

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.