Who Should I Start? Tyquan Thornton or Malik Washington

Monday, September 15, 12:20 PM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton scored his first touchdown since Week 17 of 2022 in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. The Baylor alum connected with quarterback Patrick Mahomes on just 2-of-5 targets in Week 2, but he made them count -- syncing up on a 49-yard score where the wideout went streaking down the middle of the field. Despite the inefficiency when doing so, Kansas City is using the 25-year-old as their deep threat. He's the perfect specimen for that role with blazing 4.28 40-yard dash speed, and the Chiefs are utilizing three-wide receiver sets frequently. It seems that Xavier Worthy (shoulder) will return sooner than anticipated, so Thornton's elevated snap share might not be for long. Still, he matched Marquise Brown's total of 45 from over the weekend and ran in front of JuJu Smith-Schuster for the first time.

Monday, September 15, 10:07 PM

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington had a highlight reel play in Week 2 against the Patriots, returning a punt for a 74-yard touchdown. The second-year receiver finished with only one catch for two yards on two targets and added three carries for 23 yards as well. In a positive sign for his future production, Washington's snap percentage increased from 58% in Week 1 to 61% in Week 2, while the rest of the periphery receivers all saw their snap counts drop. Washington is clearly the third receiver behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and he could continue to work his way into a larger role in an offense searching for answers after a 0-2 start. One important factor to watch this week with Washington, though, is that he did show up on the injury report with a thumb injury and was listed as a limited participant on Monday's practice estimation. If he plays on Thursday against the Bills, he has dynamic upside as a playmaker, so keep an eye on his status this week.