Matthew Freedman recommended holding Dont'e Thornton despite a 14.2-spot bump to 191.2 ADP. The 6-5, 205-pound speedster (4.3 forty) continues to run with the Raiders’ starters during preseason, yet Freedman noted he could still open the year as the No. 5 receiver. Stash the upside, but don’t overpay.

Steve Palazzolo said Dont'e Thornton is his favorite deep threat in the 2025 class and a no-brainer upside swing for fantasy gamers. Palazzolo raved about Thornton’s measurables—6-foot-5, 207 pounds with reported sub-4.40 speed—and even called him the closest stylistic comp to DK Metcalf in this draft. Although the Tennessee offense gives scouts little pro-style tape, Palazzolo thought Thornton already showed surprisingly flexible hips, clean ball skills, and the ability to sink in and out of breaks rather than being a purely linear sprinter. In Las Vegas he will be competing only with possession targets Jacoby Meyers and rookie Jack Besh underneath while second-year WR Trey Tucker stretches horizontally, giving Thornton a clear runway to the vertical “X” role. Palazzolo noted that Geno Smith has ranked top-eight in PFF grade on throws outside the red zone in back-to-back seasons, so one or two deep connections per week could spike Thornton into starting fantasy lineups. Because the Raiders invested just a fourth-round pick, the risk is minimal and the payoff "astronomical" if he sticks. Palazzolo advised scooping Thornton at the tail end of best-ball drafts and bookmarking him as a priority waiver add once he flashes in September.

Erik Beimfohr said Dont'e Thornton is a perfect last-round dart on DraftKings. The rookie speedster logged 3.72 yards per route run at Tennessee in 2024 and 2.6 the year prior, flashing big-play chops despite only 94 career targets. Las Vegas invested fourth-round capital to let him fill Trey Tucker’s vacated deep-threat role; Tucker finished fifth league-wide in routes run last year, so the boundary spot rarely leaves the field. With defenses tilted toward Jacobi Meyers and rookie Brock Bowers, Thornton should see single coverage and have a clear runway to one-or-two-catch spike weeks that matter in Best Ball tournaments. Beimfohr is happily scooping him in Round 19/20 as cheap exposure to a Raiders offense that now pairs Geno Smith’s aggressiveness with Pete Carroll’s vertical ethos.