Who Should I Start? Ian Thomas or Cole Kmet

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.

Thursday, July 10, 1:17 PM

Folks have speculated that Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet is a potential trade chip ever since the team took Colston Loveland in the first round back in April. The Bears' depth chart at TE might look top-heavy right now, but The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain says he's unsure why the Bears would trade Kmet at this point. Kmet is only 26, his contract isn't in the top 10 at his position, and new head coach Ben Johnson hasn't been coy about his excitement to use 12 personnel with Kmet and Loveland on the field together. Kmet had career-highs in yards per target and catch percentage in 2024 with 47 receptions, 474 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games (16 starts). He was efficient, but the overall numbers regressed from his 2023 campaign. The addition of Loveland certainly adds more competition for targets and gives Kmet less fantasy intrigue, but he could still be a big part of Chicago's offense.