Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or JuJu Smith-Schuster

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.

Saturday, March 15, 7:30 PM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has signed a new deal to remain with the organization. Smith-Schuster returns on a one-year deal for an undisclosed amount of money. The former second-round pick was decent as a depth option for the Chiefs last season. He hauled in 18 receptions for 231 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games (eight starts) with the Chiefs last season. The expectation is that Smith-Schuster will slide somewhere behind Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, and Rashee Rice (knee) once he's healthy enough to play. It's tough to imagine Smith-Schuster being a fantasy relevant player on a weekly basis.