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

Thursday, August 14, 6:34 PM

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connel said that wide receiver Jalen Nailor (hand) is dealing with a hand injury and will be evaluated. Nailor's hand injury could end up being minor, but as The Athletic's Alec Lewis notes, Minnesota's receiver depth in training camp is now being tested. All-Pro Justin Jefferson (hamstring) has been out since early in camp, and the Vikes are also bracing for Jordan Addison to miss the first three games of the year due to a suspension. The 26-year-old Nailor should have an increased role early in the season with Addison suspended, but RotoBaller doesn't have him ranked inside the top 100 wideouts for fantasy. In his third season in Minnesota last year, Nailor only caught 28 of 42 targets for 414 yards and six touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (seven starts) in a career year for quarterback Sam Darnold.

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.