Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Baker Mayfield

Friday, December 26, 9:03 AM

Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk is coming off one of his best games of the season last week against the Raiders, as the veteran played his most snaps (39) since Week 9 and had his most targets (5) since Week 12. He'll have a tougher matchup this week against the Chargers on Saturday and is a high-risk play for fantasy purposes since his role is still extremely shaky. He finishes second on the team in receiving yards and tied for second in targets last week, though, so it's possible he'll continue to trend up as the Texans continue their playoff push. Since he only has 25 catches for 241 yards and a touchdown this season, Kirk is a high-risk option in this tough matchup in Los Angeles, and he's just the No. 67 WR in RotoBaller's rankings. He can be left on the bench or waiver wire in most leagues, but it is worth monitoring his involvement to see if last week's performance was a matchup-based outlier or the start of a trend.

Friday, December 26, 2:40 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has given fantasy managers some lackluster performances during the second half of the season. Over his last six games, Mayfield has only surpassed 200 passing yards in a single game once. Mayfield has also only thrown for multiple touchdowns once during that span. It has been a struggle lately for Mayfield, but he does head into a favorable matchup in Week 17. He'll draw a matchup against a shaky Miami Dolphins defense, a unit that has allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. It's a must-win game for the Bucs, so Mayfield needs to be at the top of his game. The hope is that Mayfield can offer fantasy managers low-end QB1 value for this one.