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

Thursday, August 7, 12:52 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (illness) is back at training camp practice on Thursday, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN. Thomas returns after sitting out on Wednesday while being under the weather. Head coach Liam Coen said that "everybody" will play in the preseason opener this Saturday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, so Thomas should be on the field. The 22-year-old is a top-10 fantasy wideout going into his second NFL campaign after impressing to the tune of 87 receptions for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns in 17 games (16 starts) as a rookie. The Jags added two-way star Travis Hunter in the first round this year, and he should take over immediately as the WR2 across from Thomas to help draw some attention away from him. In Coen's offense, Thomas could be even more prolific in Year 2.

Tuesday, August 12, 6:51 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (undisclosed) was back in 11-on-11 drills at Tuesday's training camp practice, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. "I feel like I'm there now. It's just about building everything back up and...getting my conditioning back to where it needs to be," McConkey said when asked how close he is to 100% health. The Chargers and McConkey haven't disclosed the nature of his injury. Now that the 23-year-old second-year wideout is back at practice, he could play in the team's third preseason contest this Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams. The second-rounder in 2024 out of Georgia quickly became quarterback Justin Herbert's go-to receiver last year and finished with an 82-1,149-7 line in 16 games played. McConkey is a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 in fantasy going into his sophomore season.