Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Quentin Johnston

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.

Thursday, August 21, 6:32 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston (concussion), who suffered a scary-looking concussion in the team's second preseason game last Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams, was back at practice on Thursday, according to Kris Rhim of ESPN.com. While the 23-year-old might not be completely cleared from the league's concussion protocol, the fact that he's back on the field is a good sign that he should gain full clearance to be active for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Friday, Sept. 5, against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil. Johnston should go undrafted in standard 12-team fantasy leagues this fall. The former 21st overall pick in 2023 out of TCU did improve with a 55-711-8 line in 15 regular-season games (11 starts) in 2024, but he continues to struggle with drops and is fighting for the WR3 role with rookie Tre' Harris behind Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen.