Who Should I Start? Noah Gray or Ja'Tavion Sanders

Friday, August 8, 10:40 AM

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray has looked very strong in training camp and is receiving strong buzz from reports. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted that the tight end looks like a "high-end" starter. Throughout his four-year career in Kansas City, Gray has typically taken the backseat to future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce. However, after catching just 28 passes in both 2022 and 2023, Gray was able to enjoy a mini-breakout season in 2024. Last fall, Gray caught a career-best 40 passes for 437 yards and five touchdowns. He enjoyed productive stretch from Weeks 10 through 15 when he averaged a solid 10.2 PPR points per game. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on his progression early in the season as he could continue to carve out a role behind Kelce. However, for now, Kelce remains the clear TE1 in Kansas City. Gray is best viewed as a high-upside TE3 in deeper formats.

Monday, September 15, 3:25 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders tied for second on the team with a career-high six catches on nine targets in Week 2. Thanks to trailing by as many as 24 points in the third quarter, Bryce Young was forced to throw the ball 55 times. Sanders made the most of his opportunities, catching six passes for 54 yards in the contest. The involvement in the passing game is an encouraging sign, but we'll have to pump the brakes until the Panthers show they can consistently get Sanders involved in the passing game in a closer contest. In Week 1, Sanders saw just three targets. The Panthers will host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3, who are coming off a stellar defensive performance on Sunday night when they held the Minnesota Vikings to just 120 passing yards. Sanders should be kept on the waiver wire, but it would be a good idea to continue to monitor his stat line moving forward.