Who Should I Start? Andrei Iosivas or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Friday, April 11, 4:28 PM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas has reportedly been bulking up over the offseason. The former sixth-round pick has reportedly added around 15 pounds of muscle. Iosivas is now at his ideal weight which is around 215-200 pounds. He says that he is feeling better, stronger, and moving faster than before. Iosivas quietly had a solid season with the Bengals this past season. He hauled in 36 receptions for 479 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 17 games (eight starts) in 2024. The Bengals obviously have Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins above him on the depth chart, but that doesn't mean Iosivas can't be an impact player. Hopefully the added weight will Iosivas feel more like himself as a receiver this upcoming season.

Wednesday, July 23, 8:30 PM

Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. continued to get first-team reps when the offense was in 11 personnel at training camp practice on Wednesday, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. Quarterback Geno Smith did throw a deep ball to Thornton, but it was broken up. Thornton, not second-rounder Jack Bech, has been getting reps with the first-team offense since the spring, so he could be a valuable deep threat with his speed for Smith in his first year in the NFL. Jakobi Meyers is the Raiders' WR1 entering the season, so there is plenty of opportunity for Thornton if he continues to impress the coaching staff and gain chemistry with Smith. Tre Tucker will be Thornton's primary competition for targets. At best, Thornton might be a boom/bust flex option for fantasy managers in deeper formats.