Who Should I Start? Brian Thomas Jr. or Rome Odunze

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.

Monday, January 19, 2:24 PM

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (foot) reiterated that he will not need offseason surgery on his foot, according to Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times. Odunze had a stress fracture in his foot that caused him to miss the final five games of the regular season. He returned for Chicago's two playoff games to catch exactly two passes for 44 yards in both contests. The 23-year-old second-year wideout was a popular breakout candidate in fantasy going into the 2025 season, and he was well on his way to fulfilling that with five touchdown catches in the first four games. However, Odunze quickly cooled off and scored only one more time in his final 10 games. His foot injury likely had something to do with that. Odunze will look to bounce back in 2026 with better health, but his fantasy ceiling could be capped with the emergence of young receiver Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland.