Who Should I Start? Quintez Cephus or Tyquan Thornton

Sunday, August 24, 8:45 AM

Houston Texans wide receiver Quintez Cephus finished the preseason on a high note, catching four of his seven targets for 51 yards and a touchdown against his former team, the Lions. Cephus' six-yard touchdown catch from Graham Mertz put the Texans ahead 16-7 just before halftime, and they went on to win 26-7. The Texans did not play starting quarterback C.J. Stroud or primary backup Davis Mills, but Cephus looked productive playing with rookie Graham Mertz. Cephus was a fifth-round pick of the Lions in 2020 and played three seasons in Detroit. He missed a season due to a suspension for violating the league's gambling policy and has since spent time with the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Texans. He doesn't look likely to end up on the Texans' final roster, but he probably showed enough to get a look from another NFL team or at least end up on a practice squad somewhere.

Saturday, December 13, 1:34 PM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton hasn't played a significant role in the offense since the return of Rashee Rice in Week 7, playing 24.1% of the snaps and catching four of nine targets for 119 yards over that time. The speedy wideout should see an uptick in snaps in Week 15's divisional game against the Los Angeles Chargers with Marquise Brown (personal) ruled out. The former New England Patriot was dynamic in the first five games of the season, seeing regular playing time, averaging 20.9 yards per reception and scoring three touchdowns on 13 catches. Thornton faces a challenging matchup on Sunday as the Chargers have allowed the fewest PPR points per game against wide receivers this season. He profiles as a boom-or-bust flex option in deeper leagues.