Who Should I Start? CeeDee Lamb or Michael Pittman Jr.

Saturday, December 21, 9:51 AM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has continued to be a major contributor in fantasy football despite losing his quarterback, Dak Prescott (hamstring), in the middle of the season. Lamb has looked solid in six full games with Cooper Rush under center, as the two have connected for 41 completions, 429 yards, and two touchdowns. He ranks as the overall WR11 during that six-game span, and he has found the end zone in each of his last two contests. In Week 16, Lamb will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whose defensive secondary has been suspect at times in 2024. The Buccaneers have allowed the 13th-fewest fantasy points to slot receivers, as well as the 13th-most fantasy points to receivers who operate out wide. Lamb has played 368 snaps (46.6 percent) from the slot this season, which is the seventh-most in the NFL. Still, he should be able to feast against the Buccaneers, who allowed Los Angeles Chargers slot receiver Ladd McConkey to put up five catches, 58 yards, and one touchdown against them in Week 15. For fantasy purposes, Lamb continues to rank as an intriguing fantasy playmaker in the mid-to-low WR1 range this Sunday.

Friday, December 20, 10:52 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was a full participant in practice on Friday. The 27-year-old did not practice on Wednesday, but was back to a full participant the following two sessions to close out the week. The 6-foot-4 wideout has dealt with back issues seemingly all season long, but it has cost him just one week of playing time. The former second-round draft pick has been Anthony Richardson's preferred target in the passing game over the last four weeks since being reinstated as the starting QB, averaging over five catches per contest, albeit for just 60 yards per game. The fifth-year pro hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 6, which happened to be against his Week 16 opponent, the Tennessee Titans. Although he found paydirt in that first meeting, he did so on just three catches for 35 yards. With the Titans allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers and with Richardson completing less than 50% of his passes on the season, expectations for Sunday's divisional showdown should be tempered. While the Colts are 3.5-point favorites in this one, there is a low expected total of 42.5 and Pittman Jr. projects as a WR4 this week, so hopefully fantasy managers have other options.