Who Should I Start? Michael Wilson or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Thursday, August 7, 6:24 PM

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson (concussion) was out of his non-contact jersey during Thursday's training camp practice, according to Tyler Drake of Arizona Sports. Wilson didn't take any contact in practice, but it's a good sign that he's on his way to being removed from the injury report, and he could play in the preseason opener this Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Nothing from Wilson's first two seasons in the NFL suggests that he's ready for a breakout in 2025 in his third year, as he has totaled 85 receptions for 1,113 yards and seven touchdowns in 29 games (25 starts) in his first two years. The former third-rounder in 2023 out of Stanford will be a distant No. 3 target for quarterback Kyler Murray behind Marvin Harrison Jr. and tight end Trey McBride. If either of the two miss time with an injury, though, Wilson will be a popular waiver-wire pickup.

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.