Who Should I Start? Andrei Iosivas or Demario Douglas

Saturday, December 21, 12:51 PM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas does have a career-high five touchdowns in 2024 and resides in one of the best passing offenses in the NFL, but he's still not a viable flex play for fantasy managers looking to advance to championship matchups in Week 16. We would recommend ignoring him in starting fantasy lineups for a divisional tilt on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. In the first meeting with Cleveland on Oct. 20, Iosivas put up a donut (he did so the following week as well). The 25-year-old just isn't seeing enough volume (51 targets on the year) behind target hogs Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. When you factor in tight end Mike Gesicki, Iosivas is quarterback Joe Burrow's No. 4 target, at best. In the last five weeks, Iosivas has been outside the top-50 wideouts with 11 catches, 127 yards and one touchdown on 16 targets. There's minimal upside here and a scary-low floor.

Saturday, December 21, 12:09 AM

New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas is an intriguing fantasy option ahead of his Week 16 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. While Douglas was held to just three catches for 11 yards (plus one touchdown) last Sunday, he has a promising chance to bounce back in Orchard Park this weekend. This optimism is rooted in the Bills' subpar performances against slot receivers this season. Buffalo has allowed the second-most fantasy points to receivers in the slot, which bodes well for Douglas, who has played 400 slot snaps this season (fifth-most in the NFL). Plus, with the Patriots expected to be playing from behind, there should be no shortage of targets for Douglas this week. He's not a touchdown or big-play threat, but his impressive volume and favorable matchup make him a fringe top-36 fantasy receiver in PPR leagues.