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

Wednesday, October 8, 11:09 AM

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals missed the first two games of the 2025 season with a knee injury. He's been active in each of the team's last three games, but Royals has not yet been targeted by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The 22-year-old appears buried on Kansas City's wide receiver depth chart behind Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, Tyquan Thornton, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Royals could fall down the depth chart even further in Week 7 when top Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice is eligible to return from suspension. Royals maintains some appeal in dynasty leagues, but he should remain off the radar of redraft fantasy managers for the time being.

Thursday, November 6, 10:23 AM

Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. did not play a snap in Week 9's loss to Jacksonville. After showing promise early in the season, he hasn't logged a catch since Week 3. With Jakobi Meyers now traded to the Jaguars, Thornton could see his role expand. In the one game Meyers missed this season, Thornton played a season-high 83% of the snaps. However, the recent addition of Tyler Lockett may cap his overall opportunity. With Denver allowing the fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, expectations should remain low. Thornton may see the field more in Week 10, but he should stay off fantasy rosters for now.