Who Should I Start? Tory Horton or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Friday, August 8, 8:22 AM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton had an impressive preseason debut on Thursday night, catching three passes for 31 yards and a touchdown, as the Seahawks and Raiders played to a 23-23 tie at Lumen Field. The rookie from Colorado State was a fifth-round pick but has been breaking out in camp, and he caught the Seahawks' second score of the game in the second quarter on a 10-yard pass from Drew Lock. Horton was viewed as a great value on Day 3 of the draft, and he's already firmly in the mix to be the team's third receiver behind starters Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, who was added as a free agent. Horton's draft stock will surely be on the rise after this preseason showing, and he'll continue to climb draft boards. He's a great depth pickup if you can get him as a value, but Seattle does have two strong receivers ahead of him on the depth chart, which could keep his early-season production in check.

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.