Who Should I Start? Elic Ayomanor or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Friday, August 15, 5:53 PM

Tennessee Titans rookie fourth-round wide receiver Elic Ayomanor has "emerged as one of the top target-getters in the Titans offense this camp," according to Easton Freeze of A to Z Sports. Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett are among those expectd to sit out of the second preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, so Ayomanor and fellow rookie Chimere Dike should see plenty of work alongside rookie quarterback Cameron Ward. The 22-year-old failed to corral either of his two targets in the preseason opener last weekend versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he is slowly solidying a key role in the Titans' passing attack in his first year in the NFL. Ridley is the unquestioned WR1 in this offense, but it's entirely possible that Ayomanor leapfrogs Lockett at some point as the WR2. Ayomanor is outside RotoBaller's top 100 wideouts right now.

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.