Who Should I Start? Quentin Johnston or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Saturday, August 16, 11:28 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston (concussion) exited Saturday's one-point loss to the Rams after taking a hard hit. Johnston was transported to the hospital for further evaluation as a "precaution,' with head coach Jim Harbaugh revealing the wideout was diagnosed with a concussion. While the news is encouraging, the team will presumably take the cautious approach. As a result, Johnston's status for Saturday's preseason finale versus the 49ers is in question, although fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if he's not out there for that one. The 23-year-old is coming off a productive season, finishing the 2024 campaign with 55 catches for 711 yards and eight touchdowns. Unfortunately, the latest injury could cause Johnston's fantasy stock to drop even more, especially since he will battle for targets with Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen, Tre' Harris, and Keandre Lambert-Smith throughout the year.

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.