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.

Tuesday, October 7, 2:48 PM

Tennessee Titans tight end Gunnar Helm caught four of five targets on Sunday for 34 yards, all of which represented the highest totals of his young career. According to Titans OC Nick Holz, Helm catches the ball easily and "could see his targets going up moving forward." The rookie tight end out of Texas was one of three pass catchers selected by the Titans in the fourth round of the 2025 draft. While receiver Elic Ayomanor was the quickest to make an impact, Helm could see his role expand and is someone for fantasy managers to at least keep an eye on for now. Despite the Titans' improbable win on Sunday, Cam Ward has thrown only two touchdowns on the year and is averaging 175.8 passing yards per game, making it difficult to rely on any of the team's pass catchers for fantasy.