Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Rashod Bateman

Friday, October 24, 6:06 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk (hamstring) has been ruled out ahead of the Week 8 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Unsurprisingly, Kirk will sit out this weekend after not practicing all week. It has been an injury plagued season for Kirk who has only managed to play in three games. The Texans will also be without Nico Collins (concussion), which will leave them shorthanded on offense. The expectation is that Xavier Hutchinson, Jayden Higgins, and Jaylin Noel will be asked to step up. Between the three, Noel offers the most upside after hauling in four receptions for 77 yards last week.

Saturday, October 25, 11:13 AM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman is in the midst of quite a rough fantasy season. Outside of his big game against the Detroit Lions, he's scored a total of nine fantasy points in the other five games in half-PPR formats. It turns out that when Lamar Jackson (hamstring) is hurt, there's no one to throw a deep ball to Bateman. In Week 8 against the Chicago Bears, Bateman could have his starting QB back under center with a good matchup in front of him. Nahshon Wright is likely to lineup opposite him, and he's allowed 8.6 yards per target and four touchdowns so far this year. Bateman's value is quite dependent on Jackson playing, so he'll be off the fantasy radar if the two-time MVP can't suit up.