Fantasy Football 2018: Top 10 waiver wire Week 14 pickups

SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 02: Dante Pettis #18 of the San Francisco 49ers catches the ball over Tedric Thompson #33 of the Seattle Seahawks for a touchdown in the third quarter at CenturyLink Field on December 2, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

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Carolina Panthers tight end Ian Thomas (80) looks onto the field during warmups before the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Detroit, Michigan USA, on Sunday, November 18, 2018. (Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /

Ian Thomas, TE, Carolina Panthers

To begin the 2018 season, Carolina Panthers backup tight end Ian Thomas had a streak of four straight games with multiple receptions, getting some action with Greg Olsen hobbled due to a foot injury. Last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Olsen suffered a season-ending foot injury, a tough blow for a Panthers team that still has playoff aspirations.

Thomas is on the fantasy football radar with so few options at the position, but he could see a steady dose of targets from Cam Newton going forward. He showed up well in Olsen’s absence against Tampa Bay, catching a career-high five receptions for 46 yards, his best performance since picking up 38 yards on three catches against the New York Giants in Week 5.

The 22-year-old fourth-round pick out of Indiana will face the Cleveland Browns in Week 14, and they are an average defense when it comes to covering tight ends whereas Tampa Bay were legitimately the second-worst team at defending the position behind the Kansas City Chiefs.

It isn’t easy to predict Thomas’s usage (particularly in the red zone, given that he has zero touchdowns this year) in a jam-packed Panthers offense, but he’s still worth the add as a starting tight end in a high-caliber offense with a great quarterback.

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