Thornton (shoulder) was activated off injured reserve Saturday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's matchup versus the Raiders, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
The Patriots will likely need Thornton to make his season debut with JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) and Demario Douglas (concussion) both not playing Sunday. Thornton, a second-year wideout, tallied only 22 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns across 13 games last season, but he's a home-run threat for an offense that is desperate for some big-play potential.