Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or Christian Kirk

Sunday, December 7, 12:53 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen are active for Sunday's Week 14 contest against the Baltimore Ravens. Both players are making their team debuts. Valdes-Scantling was signed from the Steelers' practice squad earlier this week after previously playing for the Buffalo Bills. In five games with Buffalo, he caught four of his eight targets for 40 yards. Meanwhile, Thielen was claimed off waivers after he and the Minnesota Vikings mutually agreed to part ways. The 35-year-old had caught just eight passes through 11 games. He is one year removed from a solid 2024 campaign with the Carolina Panthers in which he caught 48 passes for 615 yards and five touchdowns. Neither player is much of a hot commodity in fantasy football, but they both have the potential to carve out significant roles. After all, the Steelers have been underwhelmed by the wide receiver position across the entire depth chart, including receivers DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III, and could be looking for meaningful contributions from new faces.

Saturday, December 6, 7:21 AM

Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk still played about half of the team's snaps last week against the Colts, but did not have a catch or a target in the team's 20-16 victory. He'll be in a tough matchup this week on Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs, making him an option best left on the bench or waiver wire. The veteran slot receiver did have five catches for 54 yards and a touchdown in Week 12 against the Bills, so he still does have some potential, but he's extremely high-risk since he's playing behind Nico Collins, rookie Jayden Higgins, and Xavier Hutchinson, and also splitting time with rookie Jaylin Noel, who has been logging about 20 snaps per game. Kirk is the No. 75 WR in RotoBaller's Week 14 rankings, so he isn't a strong start this week.