Who Should I Start? Tyquan Thornton or Elic Ayomanor


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
5.1 0.0 0.0 1.6 24.5 0.2

Tyquan Thornton News

Tyquan Thornton Considered a Starter in Three-Wide Sets

Thursday, July 23, 9:50 AM

Joshua Brisco of Sports Illustrated writes that it's clear that Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton is a starter in three-wide sets this year alongside Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. Thornton played in the first 14 games last season in his first year with the Chiefs before suffering a season-ending concussion. The 25-year-old former second-rounder by the New England Patriots in 2022 from Baylor caught 19 of his 37 targets for a career-high 438 yards and three touchdowns in his 14 games (four starts) last year. Thornton played 33% of the team's offensive snaps when he was healthy, and Brisco writes that the Chiefs are likely to put Thornton "on the field much more consistently" in 2026. Barring injury, Thornton definitely has a clearer path to more snaps with both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown no longer in town. But as long as Rice and Worthy are healthy and not suspended, Thornton could still struggle for weekly fantasy value in a Chiefs offense that has been lackluster in recent seasons. RotoBaller currently has him ranked as the No. 114 fantasy WR, so he'll be ignored in all 12-team fantasy drafts.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
3.6 0.0 0.0 1.2 16.9 0.1

Elic Ayomanor News

Elic Ayomanor Faces a Tougher Path to a Second-Year Breakout

Monday, July 20, 12:57 PM

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Elic Ayomanor earned real playing time as a rookie, which is why he should not be written off after one offseason. He started 14 games, played 787 offensive snaps, and drew 89 targets. The result was 41 catches for 515 yards and four touchdowns. That is a useful foundation for a fourth-round pick, even if a 46.1% catch rate and 5.8 yards per target show how little of the volume became dependable production. Tennessee then made the room much harder to climb. Carnell Tate arrived as the fourth overall pick, Wan'Dale Robinson signed in free agency, and Calvin Ridley and Chimere Dike remain in the picture. Ayomanor flashed during spring work, but Robinson and Dike finished with more momentum, while Xavier Restrepo led the open practices in catches. Ayomanor is only 23 and already has a full season of NFL routes behind him. That keeps him rosterable. It does not make him a buy. Contenders cannot count on a weekly role, and rebuilders should wait through camp rather than pay for a breakout that now requires several things to break right.


Tyquan Thornton vs. Elic Ayomanor

Still trying to decide between Thornton and Ayomanor? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Tyquan Thornton is projected to score 5.1 points this week while Elic Ayomanor is projected to score 3.6 points.