Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or Darnell Mooney

Friday, May 2, 12:02 PM

Carolina Panthers veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen said that he talked with his family, and they wanted him to play in 2025. He plans to go through a similar process after this season, which is the final year of his contract. Depending on how the 34-year-old feels and what his family thinks after the 2025 campaign, Thielen could hang up his cleats and retire. He's returning for a third season in Carolina after playing in a career-low 10 games in 2024 due to a hamstring injury. In those 10 games, he caught 48 of his 62 targets for 615 yards and five touchdowns. He should continue to be a trusted weapon for young quarterback Bryce Young out of the slot this year, but the addition of first-round rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan will surely make Thielen harder to trust as a WR3/flex in fantasy based on volume alone like he was in 2023, when he recorded the third 1,000-yard season of his career on 103 targets.

Friday, July 25, 9:06 PM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder) is expected to miss most of training camp with a shoulder injury. He exited Friday's practice early after attempting to make a diving catch down the sideline and did not return. The severity of his shoulder injury is unknown, and Mooney is considered day-to-day for now. The 27-year-old was productive as Atlanta's No. 2 wide receiver, catching 64 of 106 targets for 992 yards and five touchdowns over 16 games. Ray-Ray McCloud III, Kyle Pitts, KhaDarel Hodge, and recently signed DJ Chark should see an uptick in snaps and targets if Mooney misses any regular season games. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor the situation as the Falcons are expected to provide more details on Mooney's shoulder injury soon. Mooney's draft stock takes a slight hit as his status for Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is up in the air.