Who Should I Start? Christian Watson or Jacob Cowing

Saturday, January 3, 2:24 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson is coming off one of his best games of the season, having put up 113 yards and a touchdown in a Week 17 loss to the Ravens. Unfortunately, with the loss, Green Bay is locked into the NFC's seventh seed regardless of how things play out this weekend. With the Packers already on record that starting quarterback Jordan Love will sit out one more game despite clearing the NFL's concussion protocol, it seems unlikely that the rest of their starters will get much run, if any, in a meaningless Week 18 game against the Vikings. Fantasy managers in leagues playing through the final week of the season should be looking for pieces from games with clearer stakes.

Monday, January 5, 7:45 PM

The San Francisco 49ers will open the 21-day practice window for wide receiver Jacob Cowing (hamstring) this week, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Cowing will practice with the team on Wednesday, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. The 24-year-old is getting closer to returning from Injured Reserve, but he could still be unlikely to be activated to play in the Wild-Card playoff game this Sunday against the hosting Philadelphia Eagles. If Cowing does end up playing against the Eagles, he will most likely only have a role on special teams after missing the entire 2025 regular season. The former fourth-round selection in 2024 out of Arizona caught four of his six targets for 80 yards in 15 games last year in his first season in the NFL. Cowing will be a long shot to surface as an option in playoff fantasy formats.