Who Should I Start? Calvin Austin III or Jalen McMillan

Wednesday, June 11, 5:17 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni likes Calvin Austin III to be the team's No. 2 wideout behind DK Metcalf in 2025 after George Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. Azzanni said that Austin is being overlooked and that he is a "legit NFL receiver" that "gets separation all over the field." Roman Wilson and others will be working as a committee behind Metcalf and Austin to open the 2025 regular season. Austin, a former fourth-rounder (138th overall) in 2022 out of Memphis, caught 36 of his 58 targets for 548 yards and four touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (eight starts) in his second season in the NFL last year. He is definitely going to have a bigger role in 2025, but in what is expected to be a run-heavy offense with quarterback Aaron Rodgers likely in the last season of his career, we'd expect Austin to struggle for volume on a week-to-week basis.

Monday, January 13, 12:30 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan caught two of his four targets for 41 yards during Sunday's playoff loss to the Washington Commanders. It was a below-average performance from the rookie receiver, who snapped a five-game touchdown streak in the defeat. He had found the end zone seven over during this five-game window, ranking as the overall WR7 in half-PPR leagues during that span. McMillan did a great job filling in for Chris Godwin (ankle) down the stretch, and the rookie's emergence is likely enough to convince the Buccaneers that re-signing Godwin isn't a high priority. The University of Washington product offers a nice complement to Mike Evans, and the two should continue to form a solid one-two punch for years to come. McMillan remains a strong fantasy WR3 going forward, especially if he can prove that his nose for the end zone in 2024 wasn't a fluke.