Who Should I Start? Brian Thomas Jr. or Ladd McConkey

Saturday, January 31, 5:22 AM

After topping 1,200 receiving yards and recording 10 touchdown catches as a rookie in 2024, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was expected to fully emerge as an elite player at his position in 2025. However, the 23-year-old battled through both injury and underperformance this past season, recording just 48 receptions for 707 yards and two touchdowns on 91 targets across 14 games played. As the season progressed, Thomas Jr. appeared to fall behind Jaguars wideouts Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington on the team's pass-catching pecking order. Including the postseason, Thomas Jr. recorded fewer than five receptions in each of his final nine games of the year. Heading into 2026, the Jaguars' wide receiver depth chart will get even more crowded by wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter's (knee) return from injury. Thomas Jr. could re-emerge as the lead wideout in Jacksonville in 2026. However, his stock in both redraft and dynasty fantasy formats has taken a hit after his disappointing 2025 campaign.

Tuesday, February 17, 4:35 AM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey had a frustrating second season in the NFL. He caught 66 passes for 789 yards and six touchdowns, ranking as the overall WR30. He wasn't a total bust, but he certainly failed to live up to the expectations he had established after finishing as the WR13 as a rookie in 2024. That same year, he had 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns. Justin Herbert continues to play at a very high level, so we can't blame his regression on poor quarterback play. The Chargers' bottom-tier offensive line could have been a contributing factor, but more likely than not, defenses just started to do a better job game-planning for the former second-round pick now that they had a full year's worth of film on him. Los Angeles replaced offensive coordinator Greg Roman with Mike McDaniel this offseason, which should benefit all of the Chargers' skill players in fantasy football. Additionally, there might be a few extra targets to go around, now that Keenan Allen is headed for free agency. All in all, managers absolutely should not panic about McConkey after the 2025 season. In fact, dynasty managers might be able to buy low on McConkey if his current manager is frustrated by how he played last year.