Who Should I Start? Jonnu Smith or Ian Thomas

Saturday, November 15, 12:17 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith had his worst showing of the season in Week 10 and will hope to be more involved against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11. This matchup is as good as it gets for fantasy tight ends, as the Bengals have surrendered the most fantasy points, the most yards, and the most touchdowns to the position this season. When these division rivals met in Week 7, all three of Smith, Pat Freiermuth, and Darnell Washington found the end zone in a shootout. With Sunday's contest once again expected to be high-scoring, Smith could see additional looks from quarterback Aaron Rodgers as both offenses fight to keep pace. His floor remains extremely low, but fantasy managers can consider Smith as a streaming option with a fair amount of touchdown upside this week.

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.