Who Should I Start? Cedric Tillman or Jayden Reed

Saturday, December 27, 11:01 AM

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman looks to be fighting for the team's WR2 position going into an AFC North battle against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17. The third-year wide out appears to be in a timeshare with rookie wide receiver Isaiah Bond, with Tillman playing 48% of the snaps, barely edging out Bond, and running 55% of routes compared to Bond's 58%. Whereas the team is getting Bond involved in trick plays and schemes, Tillman does not have much to show aside from his combined three receptions off eight targets for 36 yards since Week 12. If rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (groin) is inactive on Sunday, rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders may look to his wide-outs to pick up the slack, which would benefit Tillman. The Steelers' pass defense has tightened up over the past four weeks, allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, making Tillman an even less appealing pivot option for deep league managers. If Fannin Jr. were to miss Week 17, Tillman would get a slight bump to fringe WR4/Flex territory in 14+ person leagues. However, he is the third option on an offense averaging just 169 passing yards per game, which is the fourth-fewest in the NFL.

Friday, January 2, 6:43 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (illness) won't carry an injury designation into Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Reed was limited in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday due to an illness, but he was able to get in a full session on Friday. Reed is cleared to play, but it's unclear how much he'll actually play in this game. Third-string quarterback Clayton Tune will be under center as well, with the team choosing to rest Jordan Love (concussion, shoulder). The Packers are already locked into the seventh seed, so there's little incentive for them to play their starters. Reed will probably see limited snaps and won't be a reliable fantasy option with Tune throwing the passes on Sunday.