Ian Thomas
25-Year-Old
2019 Receiving Stats
REC
16
YDS
136
TD
1
AVG
8.5
TAR
30
2020 Receiving Projections
2020 Fantasy Outlook
Stuck in Greg Olsen's shadow the last two years, Thomas enters his third season with a fantastic opportunity in a Carolina tight-end room that otherwise consists of journeymen, blocking specialists and undrafted rookies. The 2018 fourth-round pick even has experience handling an every-down role, something he was tasked with whenever Olsen got hurt. Of course, experience and results are different things, with Thomas perhaps coming up a bit short in the latter department. The Panthers essentially used him as a dump-off target, with aDOTs of 6.1 and 6.0 his first two seasons. The lack of downfield work is a bit surprising for a player with 4.74 wheels in a 260-pound frame, though Thomas hasn't done himself any favors with an 8.9 percent drop rate. Competition for targets will be fierce in an offense with Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson and Curtis Samuel. Read Past Outlooks
Next up to replace Olsen
Thomas is expected to replace Greg Olsen as the Panthers' starting tight end, ESPN.com's David Newton reports.
ANALYSIS
The 2018 fourth-round pick already has seen plenty of playing time in the NFL, thanks in no small part to Olsen's late-career health struggles. Thomas has had his own struggles with drops (three each season) and blocking, but he's an excellent athlete -- 4.74 40-yard dash, 36-inch vertical at 259 pounds -- who will be just 24 years old for the entire 2020 campaign. He's also shown glimpses of fantasy production in his 10 career games with two-thirds or more of offensive snaps, averaging 4.0 catches for 39.4 yards and 0.3 touchdowns (9.7 PPR points) on 5.9 targets. The Panthers may bring in a draft pick and/or veteran to compete for snaps, but Thomas should at least have some chance to secure a three-down role. Meanwhile, Olsen is expected to visit with Buffalo, Washington and Seattle in the coming weeks.
The 2018 fourth-round pick already has seen plenty of playing time in the NFL, thanks in no small part to Olsen's late-career health struggles. Thomas has had his own struggles with drops (three each season) and blocking, but he's an excellent athlete -- 4.74 40-yard dash, 36-inch vertical at 259 pounds -- who will be just 24 years old for the entire 2020 campaign. He's also shown glimpses of fantasy production in his 10 career games with two-thirds or more of offensive snaps, averaging 4.0 catches for 39.4 yards and 0.3 touchdowns (9.7 PPR points) on 5.9 targets. The Panthers may bring in a draft pick and/or veteran to compete for snaps, but Thomas should at least have some chance to secure a three-down role. Meanwhile, Olsen is expected to visit with Buffalo, Washington and Seattle in the coming weeks.
NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Ian Thomas' 2019 advanced stats compare to other tight ends?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
Air Yards Per Game
11.3Air Yards Per Snap
0.59% Team Air Yards
3.6%% Team Targets
5.0%Avg Depth of Target
6.0 YdsCatch Rate
53.3%Drop Rate
10.0%Avg Yds After Catch
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2019
2018
2019 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
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How often does Ian Thomas run a route when on the field for a pass play?
This data will let you see how Ian Thomas and the other tight ends for the Panthers are being used. Some tight ends may have a lot of snaps, but they're not that useful for fantasy purposes because they're not actually running routes. This data will help you see when this is the case.
Ian Thomas
173 routes 30 targets
35 routes 1 target
Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Ian Thomas lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
Detailed
Grouped
Side
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2019 Ian Thomas Split Stats
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Ian Thomas
Jerry Donabedian divides tight ends into nine tiers, starting with Travis Kelce and George Kittle jockeying for the No. 1 spot.
It's a new era in Carolina. Led by Christian McCaffrey, the Panthers will look to forge ahead without Cam Newton and Ron Rivera at the reins.
The Jaguars gave Gardner Minshew new weapons — rather than competition for his job — during the 2020 NFL Draft. Find out which other players weren't so lucky, including some of Minshew's teammates.
The Cowboys don't necessarily need to use an early draft pick to replace Randall Cobb, but wouldn't it fun if they did anyway? Enter Penn State's KJ Hamler, who can burn defenders deep while working the slot.
Results analysis from a 12-team industry expert draft hosted by Sirius XM Fantasy Channel on Friday. Mike Evans appears to be falling, but it'd be unwise to aggressively fade the Tampa wideout.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2019
2018
The Panthers didn't have big plans for Thomas as a rookie, but he was capable when called upon after Greg Olsen suffered another foot injury, posting a 26-268-2 line in seven starting assignments. With Olsen's ability to stay healthy still a significant concern, it's possible Thomas becomes the team's primary tight end this fall. Thomas was merely a fourth-round pick out of Indiana after a quiet college career and a 4.74 40-yard dash, but it's notable he didn't appear totally lost in his first go-round at a complicated position. Be ready to pounce if the news breaks poorly for Olsen.
More Fantasy News
Makes one grab in finale
Thomas, who caught one pass for 12 yards in Sunday's 42-10 loss to the Saints, finishes up the 2019 season with 16 receptions (on 30 targets) for 136 yards and a touchdown in 16 games played.
ANALYSIS
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Practicing in full
Thomas (ankle) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.
ANALYSIS
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Limited by ankle issue
Thomas was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report due to an ankle injury, Alaina Getzenberg of The Charlotte Observer reports.
ANALYSIS
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Makes three grabs
Thomas caught all three of his targets for 16 yards in Sunday's 38-6 loss to the Colts.
ANALYSIS
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Makes two catches vs. Seahawks
Thomas caught two of four targets for 23 yards during Sunday's 30-24 loss to the Seahawks.
ANALYSIS
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