Who Should I Start? Cedric Tillman or Malik Nabers

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.

Monday, January 5, 10:33 AM

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee) told reporters he is "not really sure" if he will be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season and that he had "a lot messed up" in his injured knee, per SNY's Connor Hughes. Nabers suffered a torn ACL and a torn meniscus in his right knee in late September, ending his 2025 season. However, swelling in the knee was severe enough that he did not undergo surgery until late October. Hughes reports that Nabers was spotted walking with the assistance of a cane on Sunday. When healthy, Nabers has been one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the NFL. Across 19 career games played, he's hauled in 127 receptions for 1,475 yards and nine touchdowns on 205 targets. It's not a great sign that the first few months of Nabers' recovery appear to be limited, but he still obviously has time to get healthy before 2026 training camp begins. Nabers' health will be a storyline for fantasy managers to closely monitor over the course of the offseason.