Who Should I Start? Ian Thomas or Josh Oliver

Saturday, September 7, 1:42 PM

The Carolina Panthers placed tight end Ian Thomas (calf) on Injured Reserve on Saturday after already ruling him out for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday against the division-rival New Orleans Saints. In addition to putting Thomas on IR, the team also waived cornerback Keenan Isaac and signed tight end Feleipe Franks and defensive tackle Jayden Peevy to the active 53-man roster from the practice squad. Thomas will now miss at least the first four weeks of the 2024 season after being sidelined since early in training camp with a calf injury. Tommy Tremble (back, hamstring) has already been ruled out for Week 1 as well, so Carolina is entering the regular season already thin at the TE position, meaning rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders will mostly likely be thrust into the top pass-catching role right away.

Wednesday, November 13, 10:03 PM

Minnesota Vikings tight end Josh Oliver (hand, wrist) was officially listed as limited in the team's first practice of Week 11. The 27-year-old has dealt with a wrist issue for weeks at this point, but it hasn't forced him to miss any in-game action. However, the hand designation is news as it had not been previously mentioned on the team's injury report. That he could practice in a limited fashion is likely good news for his status this Sunday when the team squares off against the Tennessee Titans. Still, he'll have two more opportunities to elevate his participation before the road tilt. Oliver was used a decent amount in Week 10's 12-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars (4/52 on six targets) despite teammate T.J. Hockenson's increased involvement in the offense (8/72 on nine targets). If he can't play this coming Sunday, TE Johnny Mundt figures to pick up more snaps when the team travels to Nashville.