Who Should I Start? Tyler Lockett or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Thursday, April 24, 2:57 PM

The Tennessee Titans signed veteran free-agent wide receiver Tyler Lockett to a one-year, $4 million deal on Wednesday. According to Titans insider Paul Kuharsky, the team views him as "primarily a slot who can still threaten downfield and be used on some outside routes." Before this signing, Van Jefferson or Treylon Burks was slated to be Tennessee's No. 2 receiver behind Calvin Ridley following the departure of Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Lockett brings another veteran presence to the wide receiver room, and he'll presumably catch passes from rookie quarterback Cam Ward in 2025. While Lockett's arrival slightly improves Tennessee's pass-catching group, they are likely to continue to address the position on Day 2 or Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Wednesday, July 23, 8:30 PM

Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. continued to get first-team reps when the offense was in 11 personnel at training camp practice on Wednesday, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. Quarterback Geno Smith did throw a deep ball to Thornton, but it was broken up. Thornton, not second-rounder Jack Bech, has been getting reps with the first-team offense since the spring, so he could be a valuable deep threat with his speed for Smith in his first year in the NFL. Jakobi Meyers is the Raiders' WR1 entering the season, so there is plenty of opportunity for Thornton if he continues to impress the coaching staff and gain chemistry with Smith. Tre Tucker will be Thornton's primary competition for targets. At best, Thornton might be a boom/bust flex option for fantasy managers in deeper formats.