Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or Calvin Austin III

Saturday, September 6, 3:43 PM

Wide receiver Adam Thielen is a risky fantasy proposition in his return to the Minnesota Vikings, who will take on the Chicago Bears in this season's first Monday Night Football game. The Vikings traded for the veteran due to instability elsewhere in their receiver room, as Jordan Addison (suspension) will miss the first three games and Rondale Moore (knee) suffered a season-ending injury. The 35-year-old figures to play quite a bit right away, but the reality is that he was a late addition who is still behind receiver Justin Jefferson and likely tight end T.J. Hockenson in the pecking order, and he's attached to a quarterback in J.J. McCarthy who has never thrown a pass in the NFL before. Thielen certainly has something left in the tank and a history of making big catches, but an uncertain target share makes him tough to rely upon in Week 1.

Monday, September 8, 8:44 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III enjoyed a breakout game in Week 1 and emerged as the team's No. 2 option in the passing game. During the offseason, Austin was competing for the No. 2 role alongside Roman Wilson and veterans Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek. However, during the victory over the Jets on Sunday afternoon, Austin was clearly deployed as the second option to DK Metcalf. In this game, Austin saw six targets (only one fewer than Metcalf) and was able to bring in four of them for 70 yards and a touchdown. The 26-year-old found the back of the end zone in the fourth quarter on an 18-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers. Seeing Austin receive five more targets than Skowronek, and Wilson not receiving any, suggests that the team views Austin as their No. 2 WR. As a result, managers in 3-WR leagues should look to target him off the waiver wire as he could hold WR3/flex value going forward.