Who Should I Start? Ian Thomas or Adam Trautman

Saturday, September 7, 1:42 PM

The Carolina Panthers placed tight end Ian Thomas (calf) on Injured Reserve on Saturday after already ruling him out for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday against the division-rival New Orleans Saints. In addition to putting Thomas on IR, the team also waived cornerback Keenan Isaac and signed tight end Feleipe Franks and defensive tackle Jayden Peevy to the active 53-man roster from the practice squad. Thomas will now miss at least the first four weeks of the 2024 season after being sidelined since early in training camp with a calf injury. Tommy Tremble (back, hamstring) has already been ruled out for Week 1 as well, so Carolina is entering the regular season already thin at the TE position, meaning rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders will mostly likely be thrust into the top pass-catching role right away.

Saturday, November 2, 5:26 PM

Denver Broncos tight end Adam Trautman came out of nowhere to catch all four of his targets for 85 yards and his first touchdown of the year in the Week 8 win over the Carolina Panthers, but fantasy managers shouldn't be tricked into thinking he's a good TE2 streaming option as the Broncos head on the road to take on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9. Before last Sunday's impressive performance, Trautman had just two catches for 32 yards in the first seven weeks. In addition to Trautman, TE Lucas Krull caught both of his targets for 18 yards. The 27-year-old is rostered in 0% of Yahoo leagues despite his big Week 8 stat line and the fact that a struggling Ravens defense has allowed the eight-most half-PPR fantasy points to the position this year. It's a long shot that Trautman will stand out for fantasy managers a second straight week.