Dont'eThornton Jr.

News: 6 days agoThornton caught one of four targets for 20 yards in Monday's 20-9 loss to the Chargers.

Spin: Thornton continued to operate as the Raiders No. 3 wide receiver Monday while playing 57 of the Raiders' 70 offensive snaps behind both Jakobi Meyers (65) and Tre Tucker (64). The rookie wideout saw four targets for the second straight week, so it appears that Las Vegas is intent on getting him the ball as a dynamic playmaker. With that said, Thornton likely faces a tough path to consistent fantasy production in an offense still trying to find its footing early in the season. Nonetheless, the 22-year-old will look to have more of an impact in Week 3 when the Raiders visit the Commanders.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Thornton was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of April's draft. He is a vertical threat who ranked at or near the top of this WR class in YPR (25.4), YPT (18.9), aDOT (16.4) and RAC (10.7) last season, albeit in a situational role (35 targets, 9% share). In fact, Thornton was used sparingly throughout his four collegiate seasons, totaling a 6.1% target share (second lowest in this WR class) and 65-1,426-10 receiving line. He posted the best speed score (120) among WRs at the combine (4.30 40 at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds). Thornton is likely headed for a situational deep-threat role behind Jakobi Meyers and perhaps Amari Cooper (not to mention TE Brock Bowers), and he should be drafted only in deep or dynasty formats.