Who Should I Start? Brian Thomas Jr. or Ladd McConkey

Monday, January 5, 10:46 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. had a disappointing year relative to preseason expectations in 2025, recording 48 receptions for 707 yards and two touchdowns on 91 targets across 14 games played. Down the stretch of the regular season, Thomas Jr. appeared to slide down the pass-catcher pecking order in Jacksonville. The 23-year-old recorded just nine catches for 106 yards and zero touchdowns on 15 targets over his final three contests. Thomas Jr. also played fewer than 80% of Jacksonville's offensive snaps in five out of his team's six final games. The Jaguars are now set to face the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the AFC playoffs. In the regular season, Buffalo allowed the fewest passing yards (2,894) of any defense in the NFL. Fantasy managers in playoff leagues may find Thomas Jr. tough to trust given his difficult matchup and diminished role in Jacksonville.

Monday, January 5, 10:00 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey is in desperate need of a bounce-back performance. McConkey has struggled to put up any consistent numbers during the second half of the season. The 24-year-old has been held to under 40 receiving yards in six of his last seven games. It's not going to get easier for McConkey against the New England Patriots' defense on the road during the Wild-Card round on Sunday night. The Patriots' defense is in the top 10 in terms of limiting passing yards. They've also done an excellent job of holding the WR1 on opposing teams in check all season long. McConkey has been much harder to trust in Year 2 in fantasy, and that will continue to be the case this weekend.