Who Should I Start? Mark Andrews or Ian Thomas

Tuesday, June 24, 11:21 PM

Rather than sulk about speculation that he'll be traded or released, Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has gotten back to work this offseason and looks quick and healthy, according to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec. Andrews also hasn't complained publicly that he's set to play out the final year on a contract that he's outperformed, and instead has remained focused on getting ready for 2025. The 29-year-old did score a career-high 11 touchdowns in 17 regular-season games, but he caught just 55 passes for 673 yards and saw Isaiah Likely take on a bigger role in the offense. Oh, and he also ended the season with a crucial fumble and dropped two-point conversion in the playoff loss to Buffalo. Andrews will still be a favorite red-zone target for quarterback Lamar Jackson, but he'll also probably continue to lose valuable targets to Likely, making him a volatile, TD-dependent midrange TE1 in fantasy.

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.