Who Should I Start? Jalen Coker or Elic Ayomanor

Thursday, August 28, 12:11 PM

Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said specifically that wide receiver Jalen Coker will play in the slot this year after the team traded veteran Adam Thielen to the Minnesota Vikings this week. Morgan also called Coker "a baller." Now that Thielen is out of town, the 23-year-old second-year pass-catcher projects to start in the slot in three-wide sets alongside rookie first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan and Xavier Legette. After going undrafted last year, Coker signed with the Panthers and made noise in his first year in the NFL with 32 catches on 46 targets for 478 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games (four starts). Coker was Carolina's top slot receiver from Weeks 5-10 when Thielen was injured, and he was in a near every-down role to close out the year. Coker is ranked as the No. 63 receiver at RotoBaller and is worth a late-round flier as a sleeper in upcoming fantasy drafts.

Saturday, August 23, 11:36 AM

Wide receiver Elic Ayomanor started and caught all three of his targets for 25 yards in Tennessee's preseason-concluding victory against the Minnesota Vikings on Friday. The rookie from Stanford already has developed a connection with Titans quarterback Cameron Ward and looks to be carving out a role for 2025. Ayomanor set up a touchdown with a red zone target on Friday, a week after hauling in a 47-yard pass from Ward. Though Calvin Ridley is all but sure to be the Titans' No. 1 receiver, Ayomanor's competition for playing time is journeyman Van Jefferson and fellow rookie Chimere Dike, making immediate playing time look realistic.