Who Should I Start? Luke McCaffrey or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Tuesday, July 29, 9:29 PM

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said he's seen "the year one to the year two jump" and is "encouraged" by the work wide receiver Luke McCaffrey has put in over the offseason. Washington drafted McCaffrey in the third round out of Rice in 2024, and he did not contribute much on offense as a rookie. In 17 games, McCaffrey recorded 18 catches for 168 yards and zero touchdowns. Heading into 2025, the 24-year-old appears to be battling veteran Noah Brown for the WR3 role in Washington behind Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel. However, McLaurin (ankle) is currently on the active/PUP list with an ankle injury and is engaged in a very public contract dispute with the team, so there's some added uncertainty at the position. A strong showing in the preseason could go a long way toward solidifying McCaffrey's role within the offense.

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.