Who Should I Start? Brandin Cooks or Jayden Higgins

Tuesday, December 30, 6:19 PM

Out of nowhere, Buffalo Bills veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks led the team in receiving yards (101) while catching four of his six targets in the Week 17 loss to the visiting Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The Bills needed someone to step up in the passing attack with tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) out due to injury and receiver Keon Coleman being a healthy scratch. The 32-year-old Cooks hooked up with quarterback Josh Allen a few times deep down the field and averaged a healthy 25.3 yards per reception in his fifth game with the team. In the first four games with Buffalo, Cooks had only one catch on five targets for one yard. Although Cooks may be more of a long shot to replicate his production from Week 17 going forward, he might have done enough to secure a bigger role going into the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Jets and into the postseason.

Monday, December 29, 2:39 PM

Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Jayden Higgins got things started in Saturday's Week 17 win over the Chargers with a 75-yard touchdown strike from C.J. Stroud less than two minutes into the game. Four minutes later, it was Higgins' college teammate and fellow rookie Jaylin Noel on the receiving end of a 43-yard touchdown. While neither contributed much during a second half that saw the Texans struggle to maintain drives, Higgins, who finished the day with two catches for 88 yards and the aforementioned score, is still the player to roster heading into any Week 18 fantasy championships. While Saturday was easily his best performance of the season, he has strung together usable weeks in the past, including a stretch from Weeks 8-12 that saw him finish with double-digit points in Half-PPR formats in three of five games. Against a reeling Indianapolis defense in Week 18, Higgins has the potential for one more meaningful flex performance as a plug-and-play option available on most waiver wires.