Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Rome Odunze

Friday, March 14, 1:24 PM

The Houston Texans restructured the contract of new wide receiver Christian Kirk on Friday to lower his salary-cap figure for the 2025 season, league sources told KPRC's Aaron Wilson. Kirk was originally due a $15.5 million base salary that was converted into a $14 million signing bonus while lowering his base salary to the league minimum of $1.17 million. The move creates around $12 million in salary-cap savings for the Texans. Houston had already restructured the contracts for receiver Nico Collins and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, and they are expected to do more restructures to Denico Autry's and Danielle Hunter's contracts. The 28-year-old Kirk ended last year on Injured Reserve due to a broken collarbone but was acquired in a trade with the Jaguars to provide the Texans with a No. 2 wideout behind Nico Collins. With Tank Dell (knee) potentially missing all of 2025, Kirk has a clear path to WR3 value in fantasy in his new home if he's healthy.

Thursday, May 22, 3:32 PM

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is "extremely impressed" with wide receiver Rome Odunze this offseason. The Washington product had a decent rookie season considering the immense target competition from Keenan Allen and DJ Moore in 2024, especially while catching passes from a rookie quarterback. However, he was not a consistent fantasy football producer. With Johnson in Chicago and Allen out of the way, Odunze could be headed toward a Year-2 leap. "To be a second-year guy, you would expect a little bit more inconsistency," Johnson said. "And yet, the way he approaches the meeting room, the walk-throughs, the on-field, the drill work, it's very much like a seasoned pro, some of the best that I've been around." This is encouraging for Odunze's fantasy prospects, but the team added former Michigan tight end Colston Loveland and former Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III in the first two rounds of last month's draft, so target competition will remain a factor. The jury is also still out on Caleb Williams, and Odunze has a wide range of outcomes in 2025. His low-end WR3 cost in fantasy football drafts makes him an intriguing dart throw in redraft and best ball leagues.