Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or Quentin Johnston

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.

Tuesday, April 29, 12:14 AM

The Athletic's Daniel Popper thinks Los Angeles Chargers former first-rounder wide receiver Quentin Johnston will have to earn his roster spot in training camp this summer after the team added wideout Tre Harris in the second round this year. Harris and Mike Williams are downfield, contested-catch weapons for quarterback Justin Herbert, while Ladd McConkey has already proven himself as a game-changing slot receiver after just one year in the NFL. Popper thinks the Chargers will initially have McConkey in the slot, Williams at X and Harris at Z. Rookie Keandre Lambert-Smith will give the Bolts more speed on the field when they want it. The drop-prone Johnston was better last year with a 55-711-8 line in 15 games, but the addition of Harris is bad news for his fantasy value in single-year and dynasty/keeper formats in 2025.