Who Should I Start? Calvin Austin III or Jayden Higgins

Friday, September 5, 7:17 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III is off the injury report and ready to go for a Week 1 bout with the New York Jets. Austin, who missed the entire preseason with an abdominal injury, is listed as Pittsburgh's WR2 on the depth chart and should earn some opportunities in an offense that lacks proven commodities at the position outside of DK Metcalf. Austin was efficient with his targets in 2024 and should get improved QB play with Aaron Rodgers under center, but it's a stretch to consider him a fantasy option, especially in this matchup. The Jets were stout against opposing receivers last season, and this contest is expected to be a low-scoring affair. Austin's utilization will be worth keeping an eye on, but the 26-year-old is just a dynasty or deep-league bench stash for the time being.

Friday, September 5, 10:48 PM

Houston Texans Wide Receiver Jayden Higgins could be called upon as the team's second receiver in his NFL debut since Christian Kirk (hamstring) has been ruled out. Higgins was listed on the team's unofficial depth chart as starting next to Kirk and Nico Collins, but with Kirk out, he could draw even more targets against a tough Rams' defense. Higgins was impressive in training camp and finished with five catches on seven targets for 40 yards in the preseason. The No. 34 overall pick in last year's draft is viewed as a carbon copy of Collins' skill set, and he could be very involved right away. He's the WR58 in RotoBaller's Week 1 rankings, so he's still a long-shot starter, but he could be a FLEX flier worth considering in deep leagues. He's definitely an important rookie to watch in Week 1 to evaluate how ready he is to contribute moving forward.