Who Should I Start? Ian Thomas or Jelani Woods

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, August 27, 1:31 PM

The New York Jets claimed tight end Jelani Woods off waivers on Wednesday from the Indianapolis Colts, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Woods did not make the Colts' final 53-man roster heading into the 2025 season, and now he'll look to make his return to NFL action with the Jets for the first time since 2022. The 26-year-old will be competing for TE2 duties with Jeremy Ruckert in New York behind rookie first-rounder Mason Taylor. Woods, a former third-round pick (73rd overall) in 2022, caught 25 of 40 targets for 312 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games (two starts) in his rookie season with Indy. However, a serious hamstring injury caused him to miss each of the last two years, causing the Colts to move on. Woods would only be worth a look on the waiver wire in fantasy this year if Taylor misses time with an injury.