Dont'e Thornton Jr. Fantasy Stats

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. is a healthy scratch on Sunday for the team's Week 8 road matchup against the New York Jets. Receiver Malik Benson is also a healthy scratch with Jack Bech returning from Injured Reserve this weekend. Thornton was activated from IR himself earlier this week, but he will not make his return against the Jets and finds himself as the odd man out in the Raiders' receiving corps behind Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Bech, Cody White, and Dareke Young. Unless the Raiders suffer another injury to their receiving corps, the 23-year-old Thornton could be a healthy scratch again in Week 9 against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Nov. 8. The former fourth-rounder in the 2025 NFL Draft from Tennessee has yet to play a game in 2026 for Vegas after catching just 10 of his 30 targets for 135 yards and no touchdowns in 15 games (eight starts) in his first year in the NFL in a bad Raiders offense. Thornton only deserves to be stashed right now in deep dynasty/keeper leagues.

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (hamstring) could make his season debut in Week 8, but it's still unclear what his workload will be like in a tough road matchup against the New York Jets. The 23-year-old was activated off IR earlier in the week after a hamstring injury during training camp sidelined him for the first seven games of the season. In 15 games played last year, Thornton Jr. caught 10 passes on 30 targets for 135 yards and no touchdowns, although that was with Geno Smith playing under center. Having a more successful quarterback in Kirk Cousins could make Thornton Jr. more productive, although the air game largely runs through fellow receiver Tre Tucker and star tight end Brock Bowers. The Raiders receiving corps also has a tough matchup this week against the Jets, who have limited opponents to 187.7 passing yards this season. Thornton Jr. has the potential to be WR2 behind Tucker and be a stash candidate in deep league formats, but fantasy managers should keep an eye on whether he plays first.

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (hamstring) is being activated from Injured Reserve, per ESPN's Ryan McFadden. Thornton Jr. has not yet played in 2026 due to a hamstring injury that he suffered during training camp, but it appears he could make his season debut in Week 8 against the New York Jets. A fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Thornton Jr. recorded 10 catches for 135 yards on 30 targets across 15 games as a rookie last season. While the 23-year-old's numbers don't jump off the page, he should have a much healthier offensive environment around him in Las Vegas this season. The Raiders also lack an obvious WR2 behind Tre Tucker, although the team obviously has star tight end Brock Bowers as the number one option in their passing game. In deeper fantasy leagues, Thornton Jr. could be worth stashing off the waiver wire upon his injury return.

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (hamstring) could be activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's Week 7 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, though head coach Klint Kubiak wants to see more before making a decision. According to Sam Warren, Kubiak acknowledged that Thornton has made encouraging progress during his first two weeks of practice but stressed that he still needs to show he's ready. The 23-year-old has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury during training camp and returned to practice October 7. Thornton has been a full participant throughout both practice weeks but stayed on injured reserve for Las Vegas' last two games. The 2025 fourth-round pick caught just 10 passes for 135 yards in 15 appearances as a rookie. With Tre Tucker coming off a five-catch, 97-yard, two-touchdown performance against Buffalo and Jalen Nailor back in the lineup, Thornton faces plenty of competition for targets even if he's activated.

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (hamstring), who is on Injured Reserve with a hamstring injury, said he feels great and is "ready to play," according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. Thornton said he suffered the hamstring injury at the start of training camp in the summer and thought he could play through it. He feels "overly confident" in his hamstring ahead of his return to practice on Wednesday. The 23-year-old will give the Raiders more WR depth with Jalen Nailor in the league's concussion protocol and Jack Bech (forearm) on IR. Thornton is returning to the practice field this week, but that does not necessarily mean the Raiders will officially activate him so that he can play this weekend on the road against the New England Patriots. Thornton could be eased back in, and it is unclear what kind of role he will have, but a big opportunity could await in an improved Raiders offense, making him a deep-league stash candidate. The former fourth-rounder from Tennessee last year caught only 10 of his 30 targets for 135 yards and no scores in 15 games (eight starts) as a rookie in Vegas.

The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Monday that they placed wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (undisclosed) on Injured Reserve with an undisclosed injury. Thornton will miss at least the first four weeks of the 2026 campaign. His injury means that Jalen Nailor, Tre Tucker, and Jack Bech are locked into the top three receiver spots in Vegas this year, with rookie Malik Benson and Dareke Young rounding out the WR room. The 23-year-old fourth-rounder from Tennessee last year saw limited production in his first NFL season in a bad Raiders offense last year, catching just 10 of his 30 targets for 135 yards and zero touchdowns in 15 games played (eight starts). Thornton missed all of the preseason and most of training camp this summer, which puts him behind the eight ball with the Raiders' new coaching staff in his sophomore campaign. He should only be stashed in deep dynasty/keeper formats, but after Benson's strong summer, Thornton figures to be the team's WR5, at best, when he makes his 2026 debut.

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (undisclosed) was working off to the side without pads during Sunday's training camp practice, according to Sam Warren of The Athletic. Thornton missed the team's preseason opener on Thursday against the Arizona Cardinals and several practices before that with an undisclosed injury. Head coach Klint Kubiak said Thornton has been "banged up" but expects him to return in the preseason. The 23-year-old second-year wideout has missed valuable reps as rookie Malik Benson currently looks like the favorite for WR3 duties behind starters Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor. After being taken with the 108th overall pick in the fourth round in 2025 from the University of Tennessee, Thornton caught only 10 of his 30 targets for 135 yards and zero touchdowns in 15 games (eight starts) in his first year in the NFL. When he returns to practice, he'll be competing with Benson and fellow second-year pass-catcher Jack Bech for playing time in 2026. Thornton's combination of size (6-foot-5, 205 pounds) and speed makes him an interesting offensive weapon in what should be a better Raiders offense, but he's not currently on the redraft radar in 12-team leagues.

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (undisclosed) was forced to leave training camp practice early on Friday with an undisclosed injury, according to Sam Warren of The Athletic. It's unclear at this time if Thornton's injury will keep him out for an extended period of time this summer as he competes for the WR3 job with Jack Bech and Malik Benson behind Jalen Nailor and Tre Tucker. After being selected in the fourth round (108th overall) last year from the University of Tennessee, Thornton caught just 10 of his 30 targets for 135 yards and zero touchdowns in 15 games (eight starts) in a pretty dysfunctional offense. It remains to be seen if he'll be in line for a bigger offensive role in Year 2 under new head coach Klint Kubiak, but reports early in camp have suggested that Benson could be leading the competition for the WR3 role in Vegas. The Raiders are expected to rely more heavily on two-tight-end sets in 2026, so as things currently stand, Thornton is a receiver to avoid for fantasy managers in standard-sized 12-team leagues.

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. was unable to find much success this past season. To be fair, the Raiders' offense was horrible as a unit, but Thornton barely showed up on the stat sheet. He finished the season with 10 receptions for 135 receiving yards and zero touchdowns in 13 games. The 24-year-old might've missed his opportunity with the Raiders adding some reinforcements this offseason. They signed Jalen Nailor and Dareke Young in free agency, while adding Malik Benson in the sixth round of this year's draft. Thornton could fall to fourth on the depth chart, which is not a good spot, given Brock Bowers eats a ton of targets at tight end as well. He's young enough to hold onto in dynasty leagues, but Thornton having a consistent role in 2026 seems unlikely.

Fantasy managers in dynasty/keeper formats who drafted Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. going into his rookie season in 2025 knew that the production most likely was going to take time. The 23-year-old former fourth-round pick (108th overall) in 2025 out of Tennessee didn't have much of a chance in a Raiders offense that was among the league's worst, and he finished with only 10 catches for 135 yards and no touchdowns on 30 targets across 15 games (eight starts). The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder has plenty of speed despite his size, and although there is still plenty of opportunity in the Raiders' WR room going into the 2026 season, the team did sign Jalen Nailor and Dareke Young in free agency and added rookie Malik Benson in this year's NFL draft. Tre Tucker and fellow second-year wideout Jack Bech are expected to have bigger roles, and tight end Brock Bowers will take away valuable targets as Vegas' top pass-catcher. We aren't giving up on Thornton entirely, but fantasy managers need to take into account that he was drafted by the previous regime, and he definitely doesn't have a clear path to an increased role in Year 2. Thornton has fallen to No. 117 in RotoBaller's WR dynasty rankings for 2026.