Who Should I Start? Diontae Johnson or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Thursday, July 31, 11:47 AM

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Diontae Johnson has "mostly played with the second and third offensive units" in training camp practices, according to Zak Jackson of The Athletic. Jackson writes that Johnson may be competing with second-year wideout Jamari Thrash for the primary slot receiver role, or "even for a roster spot." In 12 games last season split between the Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, and Houston Texans, Johnson recorded 33 catches for 375 yards and three touchdowns. The 29-year-old has significantly more NFL production under his belt than Thrash, who had just three catches in nine games for Cleveland as a rookie in 2024. Johnson had been a useful fantasy player for most of his career up until 2024, but it appears he has some work to do just to make the Browns roster heading 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.