Who Should I Start? Devaughn Vele or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Thursday, August 7, 5:48 PM

The Denver Broncos released their initial unofficial depth chart on the team's website, and wide receiver Devaughn Vele is listed as a reserve. Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims Jr. are listed as Denver's two starting wide receivers. Vele started seven of the 13 games he played for the Broncos as a rookie in 2024 and recorded 41 catches for 475 yards and three touchdowns for the season. However, Vele's target share dipped over the final five weeks of 2024, a stretch that coincided with a much heavier workload for Mims Jr. While Vele and Mims Jr. fill different roles within Denver's offense, this early look at the depth chart could be an indication that the team is planning to carry over its wide receiver usage trends from the end of 2024 into 2025.

Wednesday, August 6, 12:06 PM

On the Las Vegas Raiders' first unofficial depth chart of the preseason, they've listed rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. as a starter opposite Jakobi Meyers. Thornton has impressed all season leading into his first year in the NFL and continues to get reps with the first-team offense during training camp. With the Raiders expected to play their starters in their preseason opener this Thursday against the Seattle Seahawks, we should see the 22-year-old get some run with quarterback Geno Smith for a series or two. So far, Thornton has been more impressive than Jack Bech, and he could operate as Smith's top deep threat down the field in 2025. Thornton averaged an impressive 25.4 yards per catch in his final season at Tennessee and could be worth a late-round flier in deep fantasy leagues. RotoBaller has him ranked as the WR78.