Who Should I Start? Tyquan Thornton or Tyrell Shavers

Wednesday, August 13, 7:18 PM

The Athletic's Jesse Newell thinks it might be too aggressive to list Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton as a lock for the 53-man roster, but he writes that it's clear that the Chiefs "love Thornton and envision a role for him this season." Thornton has taken off since joining the team's practice squad last year. KC coaches love the 25-year-old's speed, and he seems to fit the role that Justin Watson played for the Chiefs the last three years. He has the speed to get deep downfield to occupy defenders and can also be a solid contributor on special teams. Newell adds that Thornton should be involved in the team's kickoff return game, and he's also being trained as a gunner on the punt team. On offense, Thornton is most likely to be more of a gadget player, at best, and he's still too buried on KC's receiver depth chart to turn heads in fantasy.

Saturday, August 9, 7:15 PM

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers totaled a team-high 70 yards on two catches in a 34-25 preseason-opening loss to the New York Giants on Saturday. Shavers finished with four targets and did the majority of his damage on a 58-yard connection with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky near the end of the first half. Now 25 years old, Shavers has been with the Bills since they signed him as an undrafted free agent from San Diego State in 2023. He made the only three regular-season appearances of his career in 2024 and recorded his lone catch, a dump-off from Trubisky that he turned into a 69-yard touchdown in a Week 17 rout of the New York Jets. Shavers is fighting for a roster spot this summer behind Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Curtis Samuel, and Elijah Moore. While Saturday's performance should help his cause, his ability to play special teams may be what earns him a job.