Who Should I Start? Josh Reynolds or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Saturday, June 14, 1:22 PM

New York Jets wide receiver Josh Reynolds is the early front-runner to take over as the team's No. 2 receiver behind Garrett Wilson this year, according to The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt. Reynolds is the only player the Jets added this offseason that has ties to new head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand from their time with the Lions. The team values Reynolds' willingness as a blocker, and he has built some nice chemistry with QB Justin Fields early on. Allen Lazard still has a role to play on this team, but as of minicamp, he appears to be behind Reynolds. The 30-year-old Reynolds dealt with injuries last year and caught only 13 passes for 194 yards and one TD with Denver and Jacksonville. It sounds like he'll have a bigger role with the Jets, but it's unlikely to yield much production for fantasy managers in what is expected to be a run-heavy offense in 2025.

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.