Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or DJ Chark

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.

Thursday, January 9, 9:34 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver D.J. Chark could be looking at an increased role in the passing game when the Chargers open up their playoff campaign against the Houston Texans on Wild Card Weekend. Chark barely saw the field this season due to a combination of injury and depth chart issues, but with fellow wide receivers Quentin Johnson (thigh/illness) questionable and Joshua Palmer (foot) out, it could fall on Chark to work alongside rookie Ladd McConkey as the top two LA wide receivers. Chark was able to catch his first touchdown of the season in last week's Week 18 win, so he's on the closest thing to a hot streak that he'd had in a Chargers uniform. If Johnston plays, Chark is unlikely to make much noise, but he'd be a value pick with some upside if he's the second wide receiver on the depth chart for the game.