Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Khalil Shakir

Thursday, October 23, 2:42 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk (hamstring) failed to participate once again in Thursday's practice and is now trending toward missing a second consecutive game. Kirk has struggled to get onto the field this season, due to lingering hamstring issues, appearing in just three of the team's six games. When healthy, Kirk is a consistent target for C.J. Stroud in the passing game, but it has been difficult to get him on the field. Xavier Hutchinson appears likely to get the start on Sunday with both Kirk and Nico Collins (concussion) banged up. C.J. Stroud will likely also look to rookie Jayden Higgins to jumpstart a sputtering passing game.

Tuesday, October 21, 7:55 PM

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir broke out in his third year in the league in 2024 with career-highs across the board in catches (76), targets (100), and receiving yards (821), but it came with only four touchdowns in 15 regular-season games (nine starts). Going into Buffalo's Week 7 bye, Shakir had 25 receptions on 34 targets for 268 yards and two touchdowns in six games. He scored in back-to-back games in Weeks 3 and 4, but he has not exceeded 70 receiving yards in a contest this year, while the Bills continue to spread the ball around in the passing attack. In half-PPR scoring, Shakir is just inside the top 50 wideouts with 8.6 points per game. Although the 25-year-old is one of the top wideouts in the Bills' offense, he's not a great fit in an offense that relies on power more than anything, and he's rarely targeted in the red zone. Fantasy managers might want to expect another quiet game this Sunday against a Carolina Panthers defense that has been much-improved in 2025 against the pass.