Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Darius Slayton

Friday, August 15, 1:06 PM

Cole Thompson of Texans Wire writes that Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk stood out during the team's two-minute offense in joint practice with th Carolina Panthers on Thursday and "has been the most consistent receiver in camp not named Nico Collins." Kirk is locking up the WR2 spot behind Collins, and "no one expected Kirk to be just an average receiver when the Texans traded for him this offseason." The 28-year-old's fantasy stock was down following an injury-plagued final season in Jacksonville in 2024 in which he played in only eight games and caught 27 passes for 379 yards and one touchdowns. It also didn't help that Houston drafted rookies Jayden Higgins (second round) and Jaylin Noel (third round) back in April. Kirk's fantasy demise might be premature, though, which could make him an excellent value pick later in fantasy drafts for WR depth.

Saturday, August 9, 1:07 PM

New York Giants wide receivers Malik Nabers (shoulder) and Darius Slayton (undisclosed) were not involved in pre-game warmups on Saturday and are not expected to suit up for the preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. It's a big chance for Jalin Hyatt to impress the coaches. Neither Nabers' or Slayton's injuries are serious, but the Giants will play it safe early in the preseason and hold them both out. In addition to a shoulder injury, the 22-year-old Nabers has also battled a toe injury since college, but it didn't slow him down at all in his rookie season in 2024, as he had a 109-1,204-7 line on 170 targets. Nabers' nagging injuries are worth watching closely, but as of now, there's no reason not to target him as a strong WR1 in fantasy drafts in 2025.