Who Should I Start? Arian Smith or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Thursday, May 8, 8:14 AM

The New York Jets will get rookie wide receiver Arian Smith involved in "smoke routes and jet sweeps to utilize his speed early and ease him into the offense," according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Smith had an issue with drops at the University of Georgia, but his speed and playmaking ability are undeniable. During his senior season, he caught 48 passes for 817 yards and four touchdowns. The Jets' wide receiver depth chart is difficult to project at the moment, but the door remains open for Smith to surpass Malachi Corley and Tyler Johnson for the No. 4 receiver role to open the season. His role could grow even further if the Jets decide to trade wide receiver Allen Lazard to the Pittsburgh Steelers, which has been rumored as a possibility if Aaron Rodgers decides to don the black and gold.

Friday, June 13, 1:08 PM

Las Vegas Raiders rookie fourth-round wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. made strides during the offseason, according to ESPN's Ryan McFadden. Thornton caught a touchdown during the red-zone period during the first day of mandatory minicamp this week and also made an impressive catch in the middle of the field on Thursday. The 22-year-old spent a good amount of time working with the first-team offense, with the Raiders occasionally lining him and Tre Tucker up on the outside and Jakobi Meyers in the slot. The 6-foot-5 wideout has a unique blend of size and speed and ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash at the combine. The Raiders are expecting the Tennessee product to give them juice in the vertical passing attack. Thornton will likely be competing for playing time with Tucker as more of a boom/bust deep threat in fantasy.