Who Should I Start? Russell Gage Jr. or Tyquan Thornton

Saturday, September 6, 4:32 PM

The San Francisco 49ers have elevated veteran wide receiver Russell Gage Jr. from the practice squad, meaning he will see his first game action since 2022. Gage missed the past two seasons after suffering a torn patellar tendon, but was previously a reliable WR3 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Tom Brady. The 49ers' receiver room is in shambles, with Brandon Aiyuk, Jacob Cowing, and Demarcus Robinson all sidelined. Gage has a chance to see the field in Week 1 as he's expected to serve as the team's WR5 and play limited snaps if needed. While fantasy production isn't likely, simply seeing Gage back on the field after such a long recovery is a great story and an encouraging sign for San Francisco's depth moving forward.

Wednesday, December 24, 3:39 PM

The Kansas City Chiefs placed wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (concussion) on Injured Reserve on Wednesday, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Both Thornton and fellow wideout Rashee Rice (concussion) will miss the final two games of the regular season due to head injuries. The 25-year-old Thornton had some fantasy relevance earlier this season with Xavier Worthy injured and Rice out due to a suspension, but once both pass-catchers returned, he fell down the depth chart as a hard-to-trust deep threat in KC's offense. The former second-rounder will finish his first year in Kansas City with 19 catches on 37 targets for a career-high 438 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games (four starts). Worthy and Marquise Brown will have more opportunities to close out the year, but expectations must be tempered for fantasy managers with third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun set to run KC's offense.