Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Ladd McConkey

Friday, October 17, 8:57 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk (hamstring) popped up on the Week 7 injury report on Friday and was listed as a limited participant in practice. It's unclear if Kirk injured his hamstring on Thursday or if the Texans were just giving the 28-year-old a maintenance day, but we should know more on his status for the Monday night game in Week 7 against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. It's worth keeping in mind that Kirk missed the start of the season due to a hamstring injury. If it's an aggravation of the same injury and he's forced to miss this week, it would mean more snaps and targets for rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, and Xavier Hutchinson behind WR1 Nico Collins. Nobody outside of Collins in Houston has really been fantasy relevant this year, with Kirk catching just 10 of 16 targets for 109 yards and no touchdowns this year in his first three games with the team.

Friday, October 17, 6:13 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey is riding a wave of momentum after a remarkable seven-catch, 100-yard, one-touchdown game against the Miami Dolphins. It was his second straight week finding the end zone. McConkey currently commands a 20% red zone target share and a 21.8% first read target share, while running the third-most routes in the league (225). Facing a banged-up Indianapolis Colts secondary, McConkey gets a favorable slot matchup, as Indianapolis allows the ninth-most points per game to slot receivers. Even with the likely return of Quentin Johnston (hamstring), McConkey's established role and increased red-zone usage keep him highly valuable. RotoBaller ranks McConkey as WR17, making him a mid-range WR2 who should be started in all formats in this potential offensive slugfest.