Who Should I Start? Robert Woods or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Monday, April 28, 10:25 PM

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran free-agent wide receiver Robert Woods to a one-year, $2 million deal on Monday, sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Woods will give the Steelers a new target and a strong locker-room presence for whoever end up being their starting quarterback in 2025. The 33-year-old former Super Bowl champion will be competing for a roster spot in training camp this summer as receiving depth behind starters DK Metcalf and George Pickens. Even if Woods were able to somehow beat out the likes of Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson for the WR3 job in Pittsburgh, he's probably not going to be attractive in most fantasy leagues given the team's QB situation. The former second-rounder by the Buffalo Bills in 2013 out of USC only mustered 20 catches for 203 yards and no touchdowns in 15 games (four starts) for the Houston Texans in 2024.

Friday, June 13, 1:08 PM

Las Vegas Raiders rookie fourth-round wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. made strides during the offseason, according to ESPN's Ryan McFadden. Thornton caught a touchdown during the red-zone period during the first day of mandatory minicamp this week and also made an impressive catch in the middle of the field on Thursday. The 22-year-old spent a good amount of time working with the first-team offense, with the Raiders occasionally lining him and Tre Tucker up on the outside and Jakobi Meyers in the slot. The 6-foot-5 wideout has a unique blend of size and speed and ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash at the combine. The Raiders are expecting the Tennessee product to give them juice in the vertical passing attack. Thornton will likely be competing for playing time with Tucker as more of a boom/bust deep threat in fantasy.