Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or Rome Odunze

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.

Friday, June 6, 8:19 PM

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze believes he's going to take a major step forward in his second professional season. Odunze had high expectations after being drafted as the No. 9 overall pick during last year's draft. He finished with 54 receptions, 734 yards, and three touchdowns across 17 games last season. To be fair, nothing seemed to go right for the Bears offense last season. They tried to get Odunze involved with over 100 targets, but the poor play of the offensive line made it difficult for them. Despite that, the Bears believe Odunze is a special player that can take a big leap this next season. Odunze said his goal is to get at least 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns. The Bears have added talent on offense, so we'll see if that goal is achievable, but regardless fantasy managers should probably hold Odunze and see what happens.