Who Should I Start? Brandon Powell or Olamide Zaccheaus

Wednesday, August 7, 9:20 AM

Minnesota Vikings wide receivers Jalen Nailor and Brandon Powell were listed as co-starters in the No. 3 role on the team's first unofficial depth chart. The wideout spot behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison is open following the departure of K.J. Osborn, and the pair of pass-catchers are the prime candidates to fill that gap. Nailor, a sixth-round pick out of Michigan State in 2022, has tallied 12 receptions for 208 yards and one touchdown through his first 21 NFL games. Powell, an undrafted free agent in 2018, has hauled in 76 receptions for 678 yards and three touchdowns in 55 games with the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, and Vikings. It will be interesting to see who comes out of the camp battle victorious, but neither is likely to have much fantasy value in an offense led by Sam Darnold or rookie J.J. McCarthy. However, one of the two wideouts could have deep-league value early in the season if Addison is suspended following his misdemeanor DUI charge, especially since tight end T.J. Hockenson (knee) is likely to miss the start of the regular season.

Sunday, September 29, 7:32 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus led all Washington pass catchers with 85 yards on Sunday afternoon in their victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Zaccheaus caught all six of his targets, which were only second to Terry McLaurin (10 targets). This was a nice breakout performance for the 27-year-old, as he has caught just one pass through the first three weeks of action. Last week, he did not even see a target, and ran just four routes. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Zacchaeus's performance as he outperformed Noah Brown (26 yards) and rookie Luke McCaffrey (17 yards), who have typically been deployed as the No.2 and No.3 wideouts, respectively. Zaccheaus should remain on your waiver wire for now in standard leagues, but could be worth stashing in deeper 14+ team leagues.