Who Should I Start? James Mitchell or Gunnar Helm

Wednesday, September 24, 6:20 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end James Mitchell has an opportunity to make some noise with Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) expected to miss multiple weeks with a high-ankle sprain, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Tommy Tremble will move to the top of the Panthers' TE depth chart with Sanders injured, but he's more of a blocker than a pass-catcher, so Mitchell might have a chance to make some noise going forward in his first year in Carolina. The 26-year-old former fifth-round selection (177th overall) by the Detroit Lions in 2022 out of Virginia Tech has caught all 13 of his targets for 141 yards and one touchdown in 30 games played (one start) in his three NFL seasons with the Lions before joining the Panthers on a reserve/futures contract back in January. Mitchell is only worth a look on the waiver wire in the deepest of fantasy leagues at the moment.

Thursday, November 20, 9:59 PM

Tennessee Titans rookie tight end Gunnar Helm had one of his better performances in Sunday's Week 11 loss to the Houston Texans, catching four of his five targets for 29 yards. Helm's four catches and five targets both tied his season-highs in the 16-13 loss, a game in which rookie receivers Elic Ayomanor (hamstring) and Chimere Dike (chest) were both injured. In his first 10 NFL games, the 23-year-old fourth-rounder has caught 24 of his 30 targets for 216 yards and one touchdown. Helm hasn't turned heads in 2025, but he does have at least one catch in all 10 of his games, and the Titans could be looking to get him the ball more in the final stretch of the season. He will be a more intriguing TE streamer in deeper fantasy leagues if Ayomanor is unable to play. Also in his favor is the matchup against Seattle, a team that has allowed the sixth-most half-PPR fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends.