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

Wednesday, June 11, 5:52 PM

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor has bulked up in the offseason, with SKOR North's Judd Zulgad saying, "When you see him physically, you won't recognize him." Zulgad points out that fellow wideout Jordan Addison is likely to be suspended for two to three games to start the 2025 season for an off-field incident in Los Angeles last July, and Nailor is motivated headed into a contract year. The 26-year-old took a big step forward in his third NFL season in Minnesota in 2024, going for a 28-414-6 line on 42 targets over 17 regular-season games (seven starts) after catching 12 passes in his first two seasons. Nailor could have an expanded role early on if Addison is suspended, but he'll also face more competition from rookie third-rounder Tai Felton and free-agent addition Rondale Moore. For now, he remains outside of RotoBaller's top-100 fantasy receivers.

Friday, June 13, 1:08 PM

Las Vegas Raiders rookie fourth-round wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. made strides during the offseason, according to ESPN's Ryan McFadden. Thornton caught a touchdown during the red-zone period during the first day of mandatory minicamp this week and also made an impressive catch in the middle of the field on Thursday. The 22-year-old spent a good amount of time working with the first-team offense, with the Raiders occasionally lining him and Tre Tucker up on the outside and Jakobi Meyers in the slot. The 6-foot-5 wideout has a unique blend of size and speed and ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash at the combine. The Raiders are expecting the Tennessee product to give them juice in the vertical passing attack. Thornton will likely be competing for playing time with Tucker as more of a boom/bust deep threat in fantasy.