Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Marquise Brown

Wednesday, July 9, 3:34 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk was dealt from the division rival Jacksonville Jaguars for a late-round NFL Draft pick this offseason. The 28-year-old had a fantastic first season with Jacksonville in 2022, but injuries and offensive woes limited his production in 2023 and 2024. Last year, he tallied just 27 receptions for 379 yards and one score in eight games while Brian Thomas Jr. took over the WR1 role. Now in Houston, he is seemingly competing with rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel for the WR2 job behind Nico Collins. ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime believes Kirk might be the favorite to win that job. "The best way to step into the No. 2 or No. 3 role is building chemistry with CJ.. Stroud," Bien-Aime wrote. "And Kirk looked like a potential safety blanket for the third-year signal-caller." While this is promising for Kirk's fantasy prospects, the veteran has eclipsed 800 yards in just two of his seven NFL campaigns, and Houston's acquisitions of Higgins and Noel could suggest they were not comfortable with Kirk in the clear WR2 role. That said, his cost in drafts outside the top 50 WRs makes him an interesting dart throw in all formats.

Wednesday, June 18, 2:23 PM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown said he feels 100% healthy entering the 2025 season following an injury-riddled campaign in 2024. The former first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens suffered a significant shoulder injury last preseason and did not appear in a game until the Week 16 win over the Houston Texans. While his opportunities to show what he can do in Kansas City were limited, he did draw at least five targets in four of his five games, including the postseason. However, he did not share the field with Rashee Rice, who looked like he would be the team's target hog before suffering an early-season knee injury that held him out of the remainder of the year. Brown has missed at least two games in four of his six NFL campaigns, but he remains an intriguing late-round fantasy option in Patrick Mahomes' passing offense. He's unlikely to be a weekly, reliable producer, but he's a fine best-ball dart throw. The Oklahoma product has tallied 322 receptions for 3,735 yards and 28 touchdowns in 74 career games.