Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Malik Nabers

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.

Monday, January 5, 10:33 AM

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee) told reporters he is "not really sure" if he will be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season and that he had "a lot messed up" in his injured knee, per SNY's Connor Hughes. Nabers suffered a torn ACL and a torn meniscus in his right knee in late September, ending his 2025 season. However, swelling in the knee was severe enough that he did not undergo surgery until late October. Hughes reports that Nabers was spotted walking with the assistance of a cane on Sunday. When healthy, Nabers has been one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the NFL. Across 19 career games played, he's hauled in 127 receptions for 1,475 yards and nine touchdowns on 205 targets. It's not a great sign that the first few months of Nabers' recovery appear to be limited, but he still obviously has time to get healthy before 2026 training camp begins. Nabers' health will be a storyline for fantasy managers to closely monitor over the course of the offseason.