Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Calvin Austin III

Friday, December 12, 10:33 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk has struggled with injuries in his first season with the Texans, and he has been in a minimal role coming into his Week 15 matchup against his former team, the Cardinals. Kirk played only 25 snaps (36%) last week in a big game against the Chiefs and caught only one of his three targets for six yards. Kirk did flash upside with five catches for 56 yards and a touchdown in Week 12 against the Bills, but he has only one catch in the two games since C.J. Stroud has been back at quarterback. With rookie Jayden Higgins as the team's second receiver and Nico Collins dominating the target share, Kirk is left sharing time in the slot with rookie Jaylin Noel. Even though he'll be facing his former team, he's only the WR77 in RotoBaller's rankings, so he can be left on the waiver wire in most standard-sized formats for this week.

Sunday, December 14, 10:57 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III (calf) practiced in full on Saturday. He has been removed from the injury report and will play in Monday's Week 15 contest against the Miami Dolphins. The 26-year-old is the No. 2 receiver on the depth chart, but he has been held to two or fewer targets in four of his last five games. During those five weeks, he's averaging just 1.6 catches, 17.2 yards, and zero touchdowns per game. Pittsburgh could go run-heavy this week because Miami's defense has allowed the 10th-most rushing yards to opposing running backs in 2025. The Dolphins have also allowed the third-fewest receiving yards to opposing wide receivers. All signs point to Austin having another dud week despite being cleared to suit up. He should be avoided in fantasy football on Monday.