Who Should I Start? Dont'e Thornton Jr. or Malik Benson

Friday, July 31, 7:00 AM

Since landing with the Las Vegas Raiders as a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, rookie wide receiver Malik Benson has drawn praise for his ability to stress a defense vertically. Benson made a number of deep catches throughout OTAs and minicamp, and he has continued to make plays during the team's first practices of training camp, already taking reps with the first-team offense. The Raiders have one of the more wide open receiver depth charts in the league, so anything Benson can do to stand out will help his chances not just to make the team but to become a meaningful contributor, and Raiders offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko wants to keep testing him while taking advantage of his 4.37 speed, telling reporters earlier in the week, "We're going to want to maximize what he does, how he comes off the ball, be able to challenge him mentally and do different things with him and just see him grasp the offense and take it from the meeting room to the field." Benson currently sits outside of RotoBaller's top 300 players for 2026, but if he can continue to earn meaningful reps in three-receiver sets alongside Jalen Nailor and Tre Tucker, he could become a usable piece in best ball formats.