Who Should I Start? Josh Oliver or Tommy Tremble

Tuesday, June 10, 1:52 PM

The Minnesota Vikings signed tight end Josh Oliver to a three-year, $23.25 million contract extension on Tuesday with a maximum value of $27.5 million, according to Athletes First's Andrew Kessler. The deal includes $11.9 million in new guarantees and $19.5 million in total guarantees. With T.J. Hockenson missing time due to injury in 2024, Oliver had 22 receptions on 28 targets for a career-high 258 yards and three touchdowns in 15 regular-season games (12 starts), but it still wasn't enough to move the fantasy needle. The 28-year-old former third-rounder (69th overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2019 NFL draft out of San Jose State excels as a run-blocker and will primarily be used in that role again in 2025. And now that Hockenson will be ready for the start of this season, we'd expect Oliver to be less involved as a pass-catcher.

Wednesday, July 23, 6:25 PM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales would not say that tight end Tommy Tremble (back) will be back in two weeks at training camp, but he could return in four weeks. Despite starting camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list this week, Tremble is making good progress from back surgery that he had in May. With the 25-year-old out for another couple of weeks at least, it brings into question whether he'll be available for the Week 1 regular-season opener in early September. Even if Tremble is ready to roll by then, he should remain off the fantasy radar in most leagues, as he's mostly known for his blocking and should take a back seat in the pass-catching department to Ja'Tavion Sanders. The former third-rounder in 2021 has never had over 23 catches or 234 yards in his four-year career with the Panthers.