Who Should I Start? Nick Westbrook-Ikhine or Tyquan Thornton

Thursday, July 23, 9:50 AM

Joshua Brisco of Sports Illustrated writes that it's clear that Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton is a starter in three-wide sets this year alongside Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. Thornton played in the first 14 games last season in his first year with the Chiefs before suffering a season-ending concussion. The 25-year-old former second-rounder by the New England Patriots in 2022 from Baylor caught 19 of his 37 targets for a career-high 438 yards and three touchdowns in his 14 games (four starts) last year. Thornton played 33% of the team's offensive snaps when he was healthy, and Brisco writes that the Chiefs are likely to put Thornton "on the field much more consistently" in 2026. Barring injury, Thornton definitely has a clearer path to more snaps with both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown no longer in town. But as long as Rice and Worthy are healthy and not suspended, Thornton could still struggle for weekly fantasy value in a Chiefs offense that has been lackluster in recent seasons. RotoBaller currently has him ranked as the No. 114 fantasy WR, so he'll be ignored in all 12-team fantasy drafts.