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

Wednesday, January 14, 1:20 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was a big disappointment to his fantasy managers in his second season in the NFL after he came out guns blazing in his rookie campaign with 87 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns on 133 targets in 17 games. This year, Thomas took a step back with 48 catches on 91 targets for 707 yards and two touchdowns in 14 regular-season games. "When you are part of a team that wins, the wealth will be shared. It will never truly be about one player. I will continue to pour into these guys... BT will 100% be a part of that," head coach Liam Coen said when asked about Thomas' future. The 23-year-old is going to remain involved in the Jags' passing attack, but the addition of Jakobi Meyers in 2025 really hurt his upside. Although Travis Hunter could play more defense in 2026, his presence will also be an obstacle to Thomas trying to rediscover his rookie form.

Tuesday, January 27, 12:20 PM

After an excellent rookie season in 2024, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey posted a relatively disappointing sophomore campaign in 2025. Across 16 games played, the 24-year-old recorded 66 receptions for 789 yards and six touchdowns on 106 targets. McConkey's production fell off sharply down the stretch of the season, as he recorded just one game with more than 40 receiving yards after Week 10. After losing in the AFC Wild Card Round to the New England Patriots, the Chargers decided to move on from offensive coordinator Greg Roman, replacing him with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. While McDaniel's tenure in Miami went downhill over the last couple of seasons, he coached the Dolphins to top-five offenses by measure of total passing yardage in both 2022 and 2023. By contrast, Roman-coached teams have never finished better than 13th in passing yardage in any of his 12 seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator. Given the change in offensive infrastructure around him, McConkey could be in line for a bounce-back season in 2026.