Who Should I Start? Ian Thomas or Noah Fant

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.

Saturday, September 13, 3:21 PM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Noah Fant had a team-high four catches in Sunday's win over the Browns. While he only accumulated 26 yards, he was the only Bengal besides Chase Brown to score a touchdown. Most assumed Mike Gesicki would see more work than Fant throughout the 2025 campaign. While that could still happen moving forward, that wasn't the case in Week 1, with Fant logging 26 snaps and Gesicki finishing with 16. The veteran still has a way to go before earning the trust of fantasy managers, especially since Gesicki likely isn't going away, considering his on-field relationship with quarterback Joe Burrow. Still, Fant can be utilized for streaming purposes in multi-tight end setups for the Week 2 meeting with the Jags. Fantasy managers should just be aware of the risk.