Who Should I Start? Tyquan Thornton or Xavier Hutchinson

Thursday, October 16, 12:56 PM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton was the team's primary explosive deep threat earlier this season when the Chiefs were without Xavier Worthy due to a shoulder injury and Rashee Rice due to a suspension. From Weeks 2 through 5, Thornton caught 11 of his 21 targets for 231 yards and three touchdowns. He played over 70% of the offensive snaps for the second straight week in Sunday night's win over the Detroit Lions, but Thornton was not targeted at all. While the 25-year-old has been a key piece of the offense this year, fantasy managers should expect his snap counts to drop considerably now that Rashee Rice is ready to make his 2025 debut in Week 7 against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs are expected to use Rice heavily right away, too, so with Worthy also back, Thornton is fading into a depth role in KC.

Saturday, October 18, 5:47 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson hadn't scored a touchdown in his first two seasons, but he found the end zone twice in Week 5's win over the Ravens. The Iowa State alum will look to build on that career day when he returns from his bye week to face the Seahawks on Monday night. Hutchinson still only had three targets in the game, but he hauled in all three for 18 yards and his first two NFL touchdowns. He has been playing the second-most snaps at receiver all season, behind only Nico Collins, but he hasn't drawn many targets. In five games, he has only 12 catches on 14 targets for 110 yards. He could get more work this week with Christian Kirk ruled out, but he is still a longshot flex play in most formats.