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ESPN’s David Newton said Ian Thomas has “stolen the spotlight” at tight end during Panthers’ OTAs and minicamp.

Advice: Rookie fourth-rounder Ja’Tavion Sanders was expected to be the Panthers tight end who would impress in the passing game. While that still may happen, Newton writes that in head coach Dave Canales’ “tight-end-friendly scheme [Thomas] has become a big target” at the position. The Panthers rank dead last in the league in tight end targets over the last four seasons, and Thomas hasn’t gone for more than 197 yards since posting a line of 36-333-2 as a rookie back in 2018. We’ll take this one with a grain of salt, but it’s possible the seven-year vet is the preferred tight end for the Panthers in 2024 if his strong offseason carries into training camp. Rotoworld Today, 3:03 pm

Likely was one of Baltimore's standouts during spring practices, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.

Advice: With Rashod Bateman positioned as their No. 2 WR and Nelson Agholor the No. 3, the Ravens may often prefer passing from two-TE formations using Likely and Mark Andrews together. Even if that's the case, Likely will have a hard time drawing enough targets to be a fantasy starter when Andrews is healthy, especially because Baltimore also has FB Patrick Ricard taking some skill-position snaps. Likely caught nine passes through his first 11 games last year before exploding for a 21-322-5 receiving line over the final six weeks of the regular season (28 targets) while Andrews was out with a leg/ankle injury. If nothing else, Likely should be a functional fantasy starter in the event Andrews misses games again. Rotowire.com Saturday, 12:28 pm

Kittle (core muscle) recently told the Bussin' With The Boys podcast that he lost nearly 30 pounds at the beginning of the offseason while rehabbing injuries.

Advice: Kittle had core muscle surgery after the Super Bowl and was also recovering from shoulder and rib injuries at the time -- a combination that prevented him from doing both upper- and lower-body weightlifting for about a month. He said he's "almost back to 100 percent" and has regained most of the lost weight, but he still wants to add about 10 more pounds before the start of the regular season. It sounds like Kittle will be ready for the beginning of training camp in late July. Rotowire.com Thursday, 9:02 am

Chig Okonkwo said he feels “a big difference, even the way I feel, my body” headed into the 2024 season.

Advice: The third-year tight end has focused on stability work designed to help with more precise route running. “I feel like I maximized the potential I had in my body, and if I wanted to get better, I had to change the structure of how I move and stuff,” Okonkwo told the team’s website. Though his stats fell off dramatically from 2022 to 2023 — including a yards per route run that went from a stellar 2.61 to 1.31 — Okonkwo remains a highly athletic tight end who could benefit from a modernized offense under new head coach Brian Callahan. He said he looks forward to making plays on the inside as defenses focus their attention on DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley on the outside. Okonkwo, who ran 58 percent of his routes from the slot in 2023, could very well bounce back in a more pass-heavy Titans offense this season. Rotoworld Wednesday, 7:48 am

The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly writes, “Nobody performed better and more consistently for four weeks than Pat Freiermuth.”

Advice: Kaboly went on to add, “Freiermuth might not have dropped a pass all month” and reiterated his “instant connection” with Russell Wilson — something he . Playing in an offense that, outside of George Pickens, looks thin at receiver talent, Freiermuth has a chance to be a key contributor for the Steelers in 2024. Add to that the fact that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith targeted his tight ends 173 times from 2021-2023, the third most of any team in the league, and it’s possible this year is setting up to be the best of Freiermuth’s career. Injuries limited him to just 12 games last season, but in 2022, he caught 63 passes for 732 yards and two touchdowns. Currently going as a fringe TE1/TE2 in fantasy drafts, Freiermuth could turn into a solid value for fantasy managers who opt to wait on the position in drafts. Rotoworld Jun 17, 5:44 am