Who Should I Start? Ian Thomas or Jake Tonges

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.

Wednesday, January 21, 4:51 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that tight end Jake Tonges (foot) suffered a plantar-fascia injury in the Divisional Round loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week and will need three weeks to recover, according to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. Before his injury on Saturday, Tonges caught five of his six targets for 59 yards, with George Kittle suffering a season-ending torn Achilles the week prior in the Wild-Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The 26-year-old saw an expanded role during the regular season, too, with Kittle missing time with injuries, and he finished with career highs across the board in catches (34), targets (46), receiving yards (293), and touchdowns (five) in 17 regular-season contests. Tonges should be fully healthy for next season, and he should be back in the Bay Area as a restricted free agent.