Who Should I Start? Ian Thomas or Kyle Pitts

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.

Monday, October 28, 1:32 AM

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts continued his stretch of productivity in Sunday's 31-26 win over the Buccaneers, hauling in four of five targets for 91 yards and two scores. The yardage total was a season-high and it was the first time in his four-year career that the 24-year-old recorded multiple touchdown catches in a game. After failing to catch a pass in Week 4, Pitts has averaged five catches for 79 yards in the four weeks since. In Week 9, the Falcons will take on the Cowboys who had been solid defending TEs prior to Sunday when they allowed George Kittle to log a 6-128-1 line. Regardless, Pitts is still likely a TE1 for fantasy, and he has hopefully put some of the volatility behind him.