Who Should I Start? James Mitchell or Tucker Kraft

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.

Monday, November 3, 12:07 PM

Tests on Monday confirmed that Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (knee) suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee in Sunday's Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's a massive blow to the Packers and fantasy managers, as Kraft was in the midst of a breakout campaign in 2025. The 25-year-old former third-round pick will now finish his third year in the NFL with 32 catches on 44 targets for 489 yards and six touchdowns in eight games played. Kraft was coming off a massive seven-catch, 143-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Week 8 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Kraft now done for the year, Luke Musgrave becomes a waiver-wire target for fantasy managers in need of help at the TE position. Receivers Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, and Matthew Golden should also see more targets in the passing game going forward.