Who Should I Start? Ian Thomas or John FitzPatrick

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, April 15, 7:32 PM

Free agent tight end John FitzPatrick has re-signed with the Green Bay Packers on an undisclosed contract, according to the team. The former Georgia Bulldog will serve his second stint with the squad after kicking off his career with the Atlanta Falcons for two seasons. FitzPatrick has appeared in 18 games over the prior two seasons but has only caught two passes for 14 yards on two targets. He has yet to garner a start and logged just 91 snaps across both campaigns on offense. However, he also played a good chunk of special teams snaps. The 25-year-old is unlikely to make an impact on the field this year, with fellow tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft dominating playing time. FitzPatrick will provide Green Bay with more depth in 2025.