Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or Michael Pittman Jr.

Wednesday, March 12, 10:40 PM

Veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen will officially return for a 12th NFL season in 2025 after agreeing to a a revised contract with the Carolina Panthers, sources tell ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Thielen will now look to add to his 8,311 yards and 64 touchdowns in his career. The 34-year-old veteran wideout briefly contemplated retirement after the 2024 season but isn't quite ready to hang up his cleats after catching 48 passes for 615 yards and five touchdowns in a career-low 10 starts last year. A hamstring injury cost him seven games, but he still managed to lead the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. Thielen had a strong 103-1,014-4 line in 17 starts in 2023 in his first year in Carolina and has developed a strong chemistry with young quarterback Bryce Young. He's definitely an injury risk in fantasy, but when healthy, he should have a decent target floor as a WR4/flex in weekly fantasy lineups.

Wednesday, April 23, 12:27 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (back) said that his back injury from the 2024 season is in the past and he didn't require surgery on his back. He said he was cleared to play last month and thinks he's done the work necessary to get past the fractured back that he played through last year. In addition to shaky quarterback play and Anthony Richardson eventually being benched in favor of veteran Joe Flacco, Pittman battled a busted back to finish with only 69 receptions, 808 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 16 games, which were all the lowest marks of his five-year NFL career since his rookie campaign in 2020 in which he played in only 13 games. The 27-year-old might be better off from a fantasy perspective if Daniel Jones wins the quarterback competition over Anthony Richardson this offseason, but either way, fantasy managers are going to be more skeptical of Pittman as a WR2 in 2025.