Who Should I Start? Olamide Zaccheaus or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Friday, September 12, 11:19 PM

Chicago Bears wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus made an immediate impact in his debut under head coach Ben Johnson. He caught four of seven targets for 42 yards in the Week 1 loss to Minnesota, operating as Chicago's clear WR3. Zaccheaus played 44% of the snaps and ran a route on 59% of dropbacks, both behind only Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore. Notably, he was on the field for 87% of the snaps in one-tight end sets, cementing his defined role in the offense. Week 2 brings an appealing matchup with the Lions, who allowed the most receiving yards to wideouts in 2024. Former Bear receiver Keenan Allen shredded Detroit twice last season, averaging 23.2 half-PPR points per game against them. While Zaccheaus has a chance to stay involved, his role still caps his upside. He's a deep-league flex consideration but should remain out of lineups in most fantasy formats.

Friday, September 12, 1:50 PM

Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. was quiet in the team's Week 1 win over New England, logging just two catches on four targets for 45 yards while playing 60% of the snaps. Encouragingly, he drew more targets than Tre Tucker despite fewer snaps, and the Raiders leaned on the passing game as Geno Smith threw for 362 yards. With Chip Kelly determined to stretch the field, Thornton's speed keeps him in play as a stash with big-play potential. The Week 2 matchup adds intrigue, as the Chargers just allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers in Week 1, giving Thornton an outside chance to make noise if he sees increased usage. Until his role grows, he's best kept on benches, but the upside is worth monitoring.