Who Should I Start? Calvin Austin III or KaVontae Turpin


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
2.7 0.3 0.0 0.9 12.1 0.1

Calvin Austin III News

Calvin Austin III Competing for Depth Role in New York

Monday, July 20, 8:33 AM

New York Giants wide receiver Calvin Austin III will merely be competing for a depth role with his new team this summer in training camp. Malik Nabers (knee), Darius Slayton, and Darnell Mooney are locked into the top-three receiver spots for the G-Men heading into the 2026 season, with Austin battling Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, rookie Malachi Fields, and Isaiah Hodgins for a backup role. The 27-year-old Austin caught 84 of 143 targets for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns in 48 games (16 starts) in his three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers after he was a fourth-round pick in 2022 out of the University of Memphis. Austin currently appears to be ahead of OBJ and Smith-Schuster, with his primary competition likely to come in the form of Fields for the WR4 role in what should be a more balanced offense under new head coach John Harbaugh. Austin should be avoided in 12-team fantasy drafts this fall, with his only path to waiver-wire appeal early on likely coming if Nabers is not ready to play to begin the regular season.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
3.9 5.3 0.0 1.1 15.3 0.1

KaVontae Turpin News

KaVontae Turpin a Best Ball Option at Best in 2026

Sunday, July 26, 6:14 AM

While he has never finished as a top 70 wide receiver for fantasy, Dallas Cowboys fifth-year veteran KaVontae Turpin is no stranger to making highlight-worthy catches, with the explosive playmaking ability he's long brought to the return game translating offensively whenever he's been given an opportunity. During last season's Week 17 fantasy championship, he housed his only target for an 86-yard touchdown that was enough to make him the WR10 on the week. Unfortunately, a lack of consistent involvement and a stacked depth chart ahead of him make him difficult to trust as anything more than a late-round dart throw in deep best ball leagues. Even there, he has only cracked the top 24 of the position four times over the past two seasons, and having never hit 20 fantasy points in a game, he lacks the true upside to single-handedly win weeks when he does pop off. An older prospect when he came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2022, Turpin will soon turn 30, and he is not a player expected to have a major fantasy impact in 2026.


Calvin Austin III vs. KaVontae Turpin

Still trying to decide between Austin III and Turpin? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Calvin Austin III is projected to score 2.7 points this week while KaVontae Turpin is projected to score 3.9 points.