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.

Tuesday, November 11, 11:50 AM

Before a Week 10 bye, Cincinnati Bengals tight end Noah Fant had begun to emerge as a more consistent feature of his team's passing game. In his final three games played before the bye, Fant recorded nine catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 10 targets. In Week 11, the Bengals will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fant arguably had his best game of the season in Week 7 against Pittsburgh, hauling in four catches for 44 yards and a score. If the Week 11 matchup between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh proves to be another shootout, Fant could have an opportunity to find the end zone again. In deep fantasy leagues, Fant could be a decent streaming option for managers navigating injuries at the tight end position.