Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or Jalen Nailor

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.

Sunday, April 6, 1:27 PM

The Minnesota Vikings don't know yet if wide receiver Jordan Addison will face a suspension in 2025 for a misdemeanor DUI citation in 2024, but if he ends up being suspended, the Vikings have expressed confidence in Jalen Nailor as a worthy short-term replacement, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert. When Addison missed two full games and part of a third last year with an ankle injury, Nailor caught seven passes for 106 yards and three touchdowns and went on to set career-highs in catches (28), yards (414) and TDs (six) while appearing in a career-high 17 games. An Addison suspension to begin the 2025 campaign would make Nailor a much more intriguing sleeper pick in fantasy drafts this fall. "I think this is a massive, massive year for his career," O'Connell said. The former sixth-rounder in 2022 will be in a contract year in 2025.