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.

Tuesday, September 16, 12:57 PM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson had a big performance on Sunday in the team's thrilling back-and-forth overtime win over the New York Giants in Week 2. Ferguson ended up leading the team with 12 targets on the day and tied for the team lead in receptions with nine, while racking up 78 receiving yards. The 26-year-old finished second in yards, behind only top wideout CeeDee Lamb. It was a nice Week 2 performance after he had a modest day in the Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, when he went for five catches on six targets for 23 yards. Despite not scoring a touchdown through two weeks, Ferguson ranks as the TE10 in half-PPR scoring with 14 catches on 18 targets for 101 yards. He's unlikely to be available in your league, as he's currently rostered in 82% of Yahoo leagues. Ferguson will have a good shot at scoring his first 2025 TD in Week 3 against a Bears defense that just gave up over 50 points in Week 2 to Detroit.