Who Should I Start? Kyle Philips or Brian Thomas Jr.

Tuesday, February 18, 8:54 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders signed free-agent wide receiver Kyle Philips to an undisclosed deal on Tuesday. Philips, a former fifth-round selection by the Tennessee Titans in 2022 out of UCLA will head to the AFC West after spending all of the 2024 campaign on the practice squad of the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2022 and 2023, he caught only 23 of 35 targets for 259 yards and no touchdowns in 13 games played (no starts). The 25-year-old pass-catcher also saw time on special teams as a kickoff and punt returner, which will probably be his best path to a roster spot with the Raiders. Philips will be reuniting with his old head coach at UCLA in Chip Kelly, who is now the Raiders' offensive coordinator under new head coach Pete Carroll. Philips's familiarity with Kelly won't guarantee him a roster spot out of training camp, though.

Wednesday, January 29, 1:05 PM

After an impressive rookie season for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in 2024, new head coach Liam Coen is confident that the team can run things through Thomas again in 2025. Thomas set rookie franchise marks in catches (87), receiving yards (1,282) and touchdowns (10) to earn Pro Bowl and All-AFC honors. He's also a finalist for Rookie of the Year. Jacksonville relied more on Thomas after injuries to Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis and Evan Engram, and he delivered. Coen was impressed with the work that the 22-year-old did out of the slot. The Jaguars are going to build around quarterback Trevor Lawrence with Coen now the head coach, but Thomas is going to be a primary weapon after finishing third in the NFL in receiving yards in 2024. And with Coen running Jacksonville's offense now, Thomas is going to be drafted as a surefire WR1 in fantasy drafts this fall.