Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Friday, August 15, 1:06 PM

Cole Thompson of Texans Wire writes that Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk stood out during the team's two-minute offense in joint practice with th Carolina Panthers on Thursday and "has been the most consistent receiver in camp not named Nico Collins." Kirk is locking up the WR2 spot behind Collins, and "no one expected Kirk to be just an average receiver when the Texans traded for him this offseason." The 28-year-old's fantasy stock was down following an injury-plagued final season in Jacksonville in 2024 in which he played in only eight games and caught 27 passes for 379 yards and one touchdowns. It also didn't help that Houston drafted rookies Jayden Higgins (second round) and Jaylin Noel (third round) back in April. Kirk's fantasy demise might be premature, though, which could make him an excellent value pick later in fantasy drafts for WR depth.

Wednesday, August 27, 12:37 PM

The San Francisco 49ers are signing veteran free-agent wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to an undisclosed deal on Wednesday, a source tells Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Valdes-Scantling was unable to make the Seattle Seahawks' final 53-man roster heading into the regular season, but he'll remain in the NFC West division and join a 49ers team with a banged-up receiver room. MVS was choosing betwen the 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers. The 30-year-old still shouldn't be drafted in 12-team fantasy leagues, but he should have a better shot at playing time early in 2025 in the Bay Area. Brandon Aiyuk (knee) will miss at least the first four games (and possibly more), while Jauan Jennings (calf) is also up in the air for Week 1 against Seattle. MVS has never had more than 42 catches, 690 yards or six touchdowns in a single season, though, and most likely will just give San Fran an extra body for receiver depth.