Who Should I Start? Brenden Rice or JaQuae Jackson

Tuesday, August 27, 7:41 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers announced on Tuesday that rookie wide receiver Brenden Rice and safeties Tony Jefferson and JT Woods were among the players that made the final 53-man roster heading into the 2024 regular season. Rice made the final cut after impressive during training camp and the preseason. The 22-year-old son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice was taken in the seventh round of April's NFL draft out of USC. He might be worth stashing in deep dynasty/keeper leagues, but for his rookie season, he'll merely be a depth option for the Bolts behind Joshua Palmer, DJ Chark, rookie Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Simi Fehoko and Derius Davis. Rice excels with his route-running and also plays with a physical style on contested catches down the field. Initially, he might be a red-zone weapon for a new-look Chargers offense in 2024.

Wednesday, February 12, 10:27 PM

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that the New England Patriots re-signed wide receiver JaQuae Jackson (ankle) to an undisclosed deal on Wednesday. The undrafted free agent from Rutgers impressed the coaching staff in training camp last summer after he was originally released by the Atlanta Falcons in June, and he scored a 38-yard touchdown in the preseason before going down with an ankle injury. The 25-year-old pass-catcher spent all of the 2024 season on Injured Reserve but will now return with the team in 2025 to provide receiver depth. It's unclear how healthy Jackson currently is, but whenever he's back to full health, he'll compete for a roster spot with the Patriots this year.