Who Should I Start? Jalen McMillan or Dont'e Thornton Jr.


Week 1 Projections

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Jalen McMillan News

Jalen McMillan Headed for a Bigger Role in 2026

Wednesday, April 1, 8:45 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan should occupy a larger role during the 2026 season after former teammate Mike Evans departed in free agency. Evans signed with the 49ers, leaving McMillan as the Bucs' new No. 3 receiver behind Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. The Washington product had an impressive rookie season back in 2024, catching 37 passes for 461 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing four games. He was trending toward being a major breakout candidate in 2025, but that fell apart due to the emergence of Egbuka and a neck injury that sidelined McMillan for 13 games. With the injury behind him and Evans gone, McMillan once again has an opportunity to break out in fantasy football. The pass-heavy Bucs offense has repeatedly shown that it can support three fantasy-relevant receivers, so fantasy managers should feel optimistic about McMillan for 2026. He's still relatively affordable in dynasty trades given his 13-week absence last year, so managers might be able to acquire him for cheap.


Week 1 Projections

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Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Dont'e Thornton Jr. News

Is Dont'e Thornton Jr. Still Worth Rostering in Dynasty Formats?

Sunday, March 29, 8:41 AM

A fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. struggled to establish himself as a rookie. Across 15 games (eight starts), the 23-year-old recorded just 10 catches for 135 yards and zero touchdowns on 30 targets. However, Thornton Jr. should have a significantly improved offensive ecosystem around him in Las Vegas in 2026. The Raiders hired former Seattle Seahawks play-caller Klint Kubiak as their new head coach and are also widely expected to select University of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the number one overall pick in the upcoming draft. Additionally, the Las Vegas wide receiver depth chart currently looks like an open competition for playing time between incumbents Thornton Jr., Jack Bech, and Tre Tucker, as well as free agent additions Jalen Nailor and Dareke Young. Thornton Jr. did not show much reason for optimism as a rookie, so fantasy managers should proceed with caution. However, he also stands out as a buy-low candidate who could likely be acquired on the cheap after his underwhelming 2025 campaign.


Jalen McMillan vs. Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Still trying to decide between McMillan and Thornton Jr.? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Jalen McMillan is projected to score 0.0 points this week while Dont'e Thornton Jr. is projected to score 0.0 points.