Who Should I Start? Ian Thomas or Colby Parkinson

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.

Friday, September 6, 6:58 PM

Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson has been thrust into the starting tight end role for the Rams after signing from Seattle in the offseason. With Tyler Higbee recovering from an ACL injury, Parkinson will operate in the lead role until Higbee is healthy enough to return. The matchup is decent against the Lions in Week 1 after Detroit allowed 12.53 points per game to tight ends in fantasy last season. But the fantasy tight-end landscape makes it difficult to elevate Parkinson into a starting role in leagues that play just one at the position. Parkinson could command some looks on Sunday night but with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp both healthy it's difficult to see him getting too many valuable targets. Parkinson's night is therefore largely touchdown dependent which makes him a risky play.