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, July 23, 8:30 PM

Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. continued to get first-team reps when the offense was in 11 personnel at training camp practice on Wednesday, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. Quarterback Geno Smith did throw a deep ball to Thornton, but it was broken up. Thornton, not second-rounder Jack Bech, has been getting reps with the first-team offense since the spring, so he could be a valuable deep threat with his speed for Smith in his first year in the NFL. Jakobi Meyers is the Raiders' WR1 entering the season, so there is plenty of opportunity for Thornton if he continues to impress the coaching staff and gain chemistry with Smith. Tre Tucker will be Thornton's primary competition for targets. At best, Thornton might be a boom/bust flex option for fantasy managers in deeper formats.