Who Should I Start? Joshua Palmer or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Monday, August 4, 8:58 PM

After sitting out Sunday, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer (groin) returned to practice on Monday. Palmer spent the first four seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers before joining the Bills on a three-year contract in free agency this past winter. While Palmer caught fewer than 40 passes for under 600 yards in each of the previous two seasons, he could be in for a bigger role on a Buffalo team that lacks a star receiver. The team's most productive wideout from last season, Khalil Shakir (ankle), suffered a high-ankle sprain last Friday and is considered "week-to-week." It'll be all the more important for Palmer and others to step up if Shakir has to miss any regular-season action.

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.