Who Should I Start? Roman Wilson or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Wednesday, May 7, 1:14 PM

The Pittsburgh Steelers are counting on wide receiver Roman Wilson to take a Year 2 jump after trading George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Wilson has looked like a different player this offseason than what he looked like in his injury-riddled rookie campaign in 2024. Pittsburgh selected the 23-year-old in the third round (84th overall) last year out of Michigan, but he played in just one game due to ankle and hamstring injuries and didn't record a single catch. In his final season with the Wolverines in college, Wilson produced 49 catches for 789 yards and 12 touchdowns. If he can get past the injuries that plagued him in his first NFL season, Wilson is fully expected to be the No. 2 wideout behind DK Metcalf, albeit in a run-first offense that currently has Mason Rudolph as the projected starting quarterback.

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.