Who Should I Start? Hunter Henry or Ian Thomas

Saturday, December 20, 1:14 AM

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry is coming off one of his worst games of the season: a one-catch, 18-yard outing against the Buffalo Bills. On one hand, it seems like Henry can only go up from here. On the other hand, he could struggle in a very challenging Week 16 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens' defense has allowed the third-fewest touchdowns and fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends in 2025. Just last week, they limited Cincinnati's Mike Gesicki to just one catch for 11 yards. In addition to the tough matchup, Henry will face competition for targets from wide receivers Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, and Mack Hollins, especially with Baltimore struggling against perimeter receivers. He'll also lose opportunities to fellow tight end Austin Hooper and the Patriots' backfield. If this were a more favorable matchup, managers could feel good about Henry's potential to separate himself from the rest of the pass-catchers and turn in a big week. However, the Ravens don't offer much of a chance for the veteran tight end to get right. He's borderline benchable this week and ranks as the overall TE13 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football rankings.

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.