Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or DeVonta Smith

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, 11:19 PM

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (illness) does not carry an injury designation heading into the weekend. Smith snapped a five game scoreless streak last week against the Commanders, with his six receptions also being his most in an outing since Week 12. While the touchdown helped out his final stat line, the Philly wideout has still finished a game with more than 50 receiving yards just once in his last six performances. This Sunday, he'll line up against a tough Buffalo defense that has given up just 17 passing touchdowns this season-tied for fourth-fewest in the league. Smith does get a decent amount of looks though, averaging 7.4 targets per game in the last five weeks. Scoring in back-to-back weeks seems unlikely, so managers have to bank on Smith returning to mid-season form and upping his overall production. Consider him a low-end WR3/FLEX with an unfavorable matchup in Week 17.