Who Should I Start? Gabe Davis or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Monday, January 12, 5:56 PM

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said on Monday that wide receiver Gabe Davis (knee) suffered a torn left ACL and will be out for the rest of the season, according to Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN. Before injuring his knee in Sunday's Wild-Card win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Davis caught two of his three targets for 14 yards. The 26-year-old rejoined the Bills this year, but he didn't make his season debut until Week 11, and he played in only six games as WR depth. Davis finished his sixth year in the NFL with a career-low 12 receptions on 18 targets for 129 yards and one touchdown in six regular-season games. It's incredibly bad timing, as he'll be an unrestricted free agent in March. Because Davis could miss at least half of the 2026 season, he probably won't have many suitors on the free-agent market this offseason.

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.