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

Thursday, September 18, 6:00 PM

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals (knee) was able to upgrade to a full practice for the first time this year on Thursday after he was listed as limited in the first Week 3 practice on Wednesday, according to Matt McMullen of Chiefs.com. Royals missed the first two games of his rookie season with a knee injury, but his full practice on Thursday suggests he'll be active in Week 3 against the New York Giants as the Chiefs look for their first win of the year. How big a role the 22-year-old fourth-rounder has in KC's offense will depend on the status of Xavier Worthy, who is attempting to play through a torn labrum in his shoulder that he suffered in the Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. However, even if Royals is active and Worthy misses a second straight game, the rookie wideout will probably be no better than the WR4 behind Marquise Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton.

Friday, September 12, 1:50 PM

Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. was quiet in the team's Week 1 win over New England, logging just two catches on four targets for 45 yards while playing 60% of the snaps. Encouragingly, he drew more targets than Tre Tucker despite fewer snaps, and the Raiders leaned on the passing game as Geno Smith threw for 362 yards. With Chip Kelly determined to stretch the field, Thornton's speed keeps him in play as a stash with big-play potential. The Week 2 matchup adds intrigue, as the Chargers just allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers in Week 1, giving Thornton an outside chance to make noise if he sees increased usage. Until his role grows, he's best kept on benches, but the upside is worth monitoring.