Who Should I Start? Mike Gesicki or Ian Thomas

Wednesday, October 15, 11:11 AM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki (pectoral) has been placed on Injured Reserve due to a pectoral injury, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 30-year-old has recorded eight catches for 61 yards on 16 targets through his first six games of 2025. He will now miss at least the next four games for Cincinnati. With Gesicki sidelined and tight end Tanner Hudson (concussion) questionable to play in Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bengals will likely turn to Noah Fant and Drew Sample to handle the tight end snaps. Fant has recorded 16 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown on 18 targets across five games this season and could be a low-end streaming option for fantasy managers in Week 7.

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.