Dont'e

Thornton

Smart move. The Raiders are widely expected to take Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick and currently field an extremely thin wide receiver corps. The Raiders’ second draft pick is No. 36 overall, which could be used to draft a No. 1 wide receiver. Given Bonsignore’s “deep” comment, we expect them to take multiple players at the position. The team recently hosted Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion, who is currently viewed as a candidate to be drafted late in the first round or early in the second. Tre Tucker, 25, is the Raiders’ most proven wide receiver, though he caught just 57-of-90 targets for 696 yards and five touchdowns last year. Other penciled-in starters include WR Jack Bech, WR Dont’e Thornton and WR Jalen Nailor. All three failed to earn 50 or more targets last year.

Nor is Dont’e Thornton (concussion), as the Raiders get back some supporting cast members against the Eagles. Neither player is fantasy-interesting at this time, though Mayer has flirted with it at points of this season. The passing offense is simply too limited to get this far down the depth chart at this time.

Mayer has been sidelined since injuring his ankle in Week 12 against the Browns. Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said he expects rookie WR Jack Bech to be more involved with Thornton, a fellow rookie, sidelined this week. Thornton has caught just 8-of-25 targets for 123 yards this season, though, so his absence in the passing game is hardly significant. Bech should not be started against the Broncos’ elite defense. Raiders EDGE Maxx Crosby (knee) is active, as expected.

Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said he expects rookie WR Jack Bech to be involved “a lot” in Week 14. Bech will likely play more snaps, but expecting him to be involved a lot as a receiver seems foolhardy. Thornton has earned just 25 targets all year and Bech somehow trails him with 14. Bech warrants mild DFS consideration but should not be in re-draft lineups.

Thornton is not practicing due to a concussion. The 23-year-old has caught just eight passes this season and has become an afterthought in the pass-catching order. Also not practicing was WR Alex Bachman (thumb), who has primarily been a return specialist this season. Thornton’s potential Week 14 absence does not elevate any other Raiders receiver to be an interesting fantasy play against the Broncos.

In a game where the Raiders totaled just 95 yards of offense, Thornton failed to turn any of his three targets into a reception. The rookie receiver continues to struggle despite an encouraging training camp and won’t be on the fantasy radar when the Raiders return from their bye in Week 9 to face the Jaguars.

Thornton was the Raiders’ clear-cut No. 3 wideout, even out-targeting No. 2 Tre Tucker. Nice for the Raiders, but not terribly relevant in fantasy. The fourth-rounder isn’t worth putting on 12-team league watch lists for the time being.

It appears that Bech is the backup slot option behind Jakobi Meyers at this point, with fellow rookie Dont’e Thornton ahead of him on outside sets because Bech “lacks noteworthy long speed and is still learning how to beat press coverage at the line of scrimmage.” Oof. Bech appears to lack standalone value in dynasty drafts at this point, though with Meyers a pending free agent, it’s possible Bech could have some value in his sophomore season.

The Raiders, per Reed, have a “logjam” in the slot, as Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers are slated to operate primarily from the slot in 2025. Reed said Bech, a second-round selection in the 2025 draft, is “best from the slot,” but might not get many chances to play from there as a rookie. Bech, Reed added, “has some work to do to make up ground on Dont’e Thornton and Tre Tucker, both of whom worked well ahead of Bech in offseason practices. Reed said “Thornton stood out the most among the group during OTAs. He’s just different physically — he’s 6 feet 4 and has blazing speed — and is working on the nuances of route running and increasing his knowledge of [Chip] Kelly’s scheme.” It appears Thornton will start the season locked into three-wideout sets barring any setbacks in the preseason or during training camp.

Edwards writes, Thornton is “using his speed to get vertical down the field,” towers “over smaller defenders in the middle of the field and [uses] his acceleration to create separation consistently.” Questioning Thornton’s 2025 fantasy impact is reasonable. In a best-case outcome, Thornton would likely be operating as the No. 4 receiving weapon behind Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers and Ashton Jeanty, leaving him with an unreliable target share. Still, this is the second positive report on Thornton in as many weeks. Perhaps, the Raiders found a starter in the fourth round. Stay tuned.