Who Should I Start? Zach Ertz or Ian Thomas

Saturday, November 8, 5:41 PM

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz has had an underwhelming year in his 13th season in the league, catching 31 of his 44 targets for 291 yards and four touchdowns in nine games. Ertz has dropped more passes and had procedural penalties than you would expect from a veteran player, but it's been that kind of season for Washington. The 34-year-old tight end is still a capable threat in the red zone and on third downs, but he offers zero ability after the catch. Ertz has seen a slight drop off in production with Marcus Mariota as the starter compared to Jayden Daniels (elbow), who will miss an extended period of time. In Daniels' five starts, Ertz has recorded 22 catches for 216 yards and all four of his touchdowns on 30 targets, compared to nine catches, 75 yards, and no touchdowns on 13 targets in Mariota's three starts. Ertz is ranked as RotoBaller's TE14 in PPR leagues for Week 10 against the Lions.

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.