Who Should I Start? Jalen Royals or Jimmy Horn 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.

Friday, October 3, 3:12 PM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that rookie wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. will "definitely" be a part of the team's wide receiver rotation, per Joseph Person of The Athletic. Horn Jr. has been a healthy scratch in each of Carolina's first four games but appears poised to make his NFL debut, perhaps in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins. Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (quad) is eligible to return off Injured Reserve this week, but not guaranteed to play, and the team lost veteran wideout David Moore (elbow) to IR after he suffered an elbow injury in Week 4. On the other hand, second-year wide receiver Xavier Legette (hamstring) looks poised to return in Week 5 after a two-game absence due to a hamstring injury. If Horn Jr. is active for Week 5, he'll likely be battling with Legette and veteran Hunter Renfrow for playing time alongside standout rookie Tetairoa McMillan.