Who Should I Start? Ian Thomas or Jake Ferguson

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.

Monday, October 20, 12:09 AM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson has quickly become one of quarterback Dak Prescott's favorite targets in the passing game, and it didn't hurt that he wore his QB's high-school jersey to the stadium as a show of good faith. In the 44-22 blowout victory over the Washington Commanders in Week 7 on Sunday, Ferguson caught all seven of his targets for only 29 yards, but he found the end zone twice to bring his season total to six. In a high-volume Cowboys passing offense, the 26-year-old has developed some nice chemistry with Prescott this year. Ferguson has exactly seven receptions in three of the last four weeks, and all six of his touchdowns on the season have come in the last four games. His ceiling will likely be lowered now that top wideout CeeDee Lamb has returned from a high-ankle sprain, but Ferguson's red-zone prowess should continue, making him a weekly TE1 for fantasy managers in what has been a high-scoring offense.