Who Should I Start? Ian Thomas or Noah Fant

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.

Thursday, November 21, 8:04 PM

Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (groin) returned to a limited practice on Thursday after sitting out the first session of the week on Wednesday. Fant has missed the team's last two games, with Thursday being his first practice since he hurt his groin on Oct. 30. The 27-year-old isn't in the clear just yet to play in Week 12 against the division-rival Arizona Cardinals, but his return to the practice field at least gives him a chance. In Fant's absence, rookie AJ Barner has seen a bigger role, which has made him a TE2 sleeper in much deeper fantasy leagues. If Fant is able to do more in practice on Friday and return to play on Sunday, he'd be in play as a TE2 streamer with six teams on bye in Week 12. When healthy, Fant has averaged only 5.3 half-PPR points per game, which ranks 30th among all TEs in football.