Who Should I Start? Dontayvion Wicks or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Friday, January 9, 4:25 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (concussion) has officially been ruled out for Saturday night's NFC Wild-Card matchup against the divisional-rival Chicago Bears, according to the team. Wicks suffered a concussion in the Week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and will now miss a second straight game. Other than a six-catch, 94-yard, two-touchdown breakout in the Thanksgiving Day win over the Detroit Lions, the 24-year-old Wicks did very little for fantasy managers in 2025 in his third year in the league. Wicks found the end zone nine times combined his first two years in the league, but he had just two touchdowns this year while catching a career-low 30 passes for 332 yards. It remains to be seen if he'll clear the league's concussion protocol to play in the Divisional Round next week if Green Bay beats the Bears.

Wednesday, December 31, 12:25 AM

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. has had a quiet rookie season, recording 10 catches (29 targets) for 135 yards and zero touchdowns in 14 games. Thornton earned steady playing time out of the gate -- 61.8% of the snaps over the first five weeks -- and drew at least two targets in each game. Known for his speed and big-play ability as a prospect, he showcased his explosiveness for the Raiders in the first three games of his career, hauling in five of his 12 targets for 94 yards. The Tennessee product posted a 25% explosive-catch rate, tied for the highest in the league among receivers with at least 12 targets during that span. The rookie fourth-rounder's snaps eventually faded, beginning in Week 11, where he played on only 38.3% of snaps and gradually declined every week until bottoming out to 7.4% in Week 16. However, in Week 17, with the Raiders competing for the No. 1 overall pick, Thornton's snaps spiked to 78%. He recorded just two catches (four targets) for 12 yards, but he had his most receptions and targets in a game since Week 3. Looking to 2026, Thornton profiles as a big-play threat who is unlikely to be a consistent producer week to week.