Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Jonathan Taylor

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.

Saturday, December 27, 1:00 PM

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has been excellent overall this season, recording 1,840 scrimmage yards and 19 touchdowns on 329 touches across 15 games. However, the 26-year-old's rushing efficiency has nose-dived in the second half of the season. Across his last seven games played, Taylor has averaged more than four yards per carry just once. In the two games since Philip Rivers took over as the starting quarterback in Indianapolis, Taylor is averaging 3.2 yards per rush attempt. In Week 17, Taylor faces a tough matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who enter the week ranked sixth in the NFL in yards per carry allowed (4.1). However, Jacksonville has allowed 19 rushing touchdowns on the season, which ranks tied for fourth-worst in the league. Additionally, Taylor remains a safe bet for a heavy workload, as he's seen at least 19 touches in six straight weeks. Despite the efficiency concerns, Taylor remains a must-start fantasy running back in Week 17.