Who Should I Start? Calvin Austin III or DeMario Douglas

Monday, January 12, 6:32 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III stepped up with DK Metcalf on suspension in the team's Week 18 win over the Baltimore Ravens, which helped them win the AFC North division. Austin caught three of his seven targets for 55 yards and the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was the 26-year-old's third touchdown of the year and his first since back on Sept. 21 in the win over the New England Patriots. The week prior, with Metcalf out due to suspension, Austin caught his only target for an eight-yard gain. His touchdown catch in Week 18 against the Ravens came with help from cornerback Chidobe Awuzie slipping to leave him wide open. Austin had just 31 catches for 372 yards and three touchdowns in 14 regular-season games, so he wasn't really on the radar in 12-team fantasy leagues. With Metcalf returning from his suspension in the Wild-Card game on Monday night against the Houston Texans, we aren't expecting much from Austin against the No. 1 defense in the NFL.

Friday, January 23, 9:40 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas scored in the Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans last weekend, but he had only two catches and 36 yards otherwise. Douglas never had more than four catches in a single game during the regular season, and he hasn't caught more than two passes in a contest since the Dec. 1 win over the New York Giants. The 25-year-old had a total of 31 receptions (46 targets) for 447 yards and three touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. Douglas finished fifth on the team among receivers in last Sunday's win with just 17 snaps on offense. He has played over 34% of the snaps in a game just once, and that was all the way back in Week 1. With Douglas not seeing the field much and quarterback Drake Maye spreading targets around, it seems unlikely that Douglas will have breakout potential in the AFC Championship against a Denver Broncos team that allowed the fifth-fewest half-PPR points per game to WRs. During the regular season, Douglas averaged just 5.0 half-PPR points per game.