Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or Luther Burden III

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, July 31, 11:53 AM

Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III "looks outstanding," according to Adam Hoge of CHGO. Burden III was kicked out of practice by Bears head coach Ben Johnson on Tuesday after making a pre-snap alignment mistake, but it appears as though he's rebounded nicely from the mental error. Drafted in the second round out of Missouri, Burden III recorded 61 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games for the Tigers last season. He's expected to take over for the departed Keenan Allen as the Bears' primary slot receiver this season, so he must get up to speed quickly in training camp. Burden III will have plenty of competition for targets in Chicago. Wide receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze figure to be ahead of him in the pecking order, and tight ends Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland might be as well.