Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or DeVonta Smith

Saturday, September 6, 3:43 PM

Wide receiver Adam Thielen is a risky fantasy proposition in his return to the Minnesota Vikings, who will take on the Chicago Bears in this season's first Monday Night Football game. The Vikings traded for the veteran due to instability elsewhere in their receiver room, as Jordan Addison (suspension) will miss the first three games and Rondale Moore (knee) suffered a season-ending injury. The 35-year-old figures to play quite a bit right away, but the reality is that he was a late addition who is still behind receiver Justin Jefferson and likely tight end T.J. Hockenson in the pecking order, and he's attached to a quarterback in J.J. McCarthy who has never thrown a pass in the NFL before. Thielen certainly has something left in the tank and a history of making big catches, but an uncertain target share makes him tough to rely upon in Week 1.

Tuesday, September 2, 5:01 PM

Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (groin) was not listed on Philadelphia's Tuesday injury report and will likely be set to play Week 1. Smith is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he accumulated 68 catches for 833 yards and eight touchdowns in just 13 games, once again cementing himself as one of the top number-two receivers in the league. Philly opens the season against the Cowboys, a familiar matchup for Smith as he enters his fifth season in the NFC East. He was boom-or-bust against Dallas last year, tallying just 14 yards in his first face-off then following that up with 120 yards and two touchdowns in their second meeting. With an offense as explosive as Philly's, Smith is always in the running for a good amount of looks going his way. He's a high-end WR2 going into Thursday.