Who Should I Start? Cooper Kupp or Brian Thomas Jr.

Saturday, February 7, 11:32 AM

Seahawks veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp has played some of his best ball of the season in Seattle's playoff wins over the 49ers and Rams, and he could be in line for another high-volume performance in Super Bowl LX. After seeing five targets or more in only five regular-season games, he's hit that mark in back-to-back games. New England has the defensive personnel to at least make things difficult for Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and if they are able to limit him on Sunday, Kupp suddenly becomes an integral part of a Seahawks offense that very well could struggle to run the ball. Since his mid-season trade from the Saints, Rashid Shaheed has seen only 28 targets and 16 receptions across 11 games, making a secondary option like Kupp all the more important if New England can succeed at slowing down Smith-Njigba.

Saturday, January 31, 5:22 AM

After topping 1,200 receiving yards and recording 10 touchdown catches as a rookie in 2024, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was expected to fully emerge as an elite player at his position in 2025. However, the 23-year-old battled through both injury and underperformance this past season, recording just 48 receptions for 707 yards and two touchdowns on 91 targets across 14 games played. As the season progressed, Thomas Jr. appeared to fall behind Jaguars wideouts Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington on the team's pass-catching pecking order. Including the postseason, Thomas Jr. recorded fewer than five receptions in each of his final nine games of the year. Heading into 2026, the Jaguars' wide receiver depth chart will get even more crowded by wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter's (knee) return from injury. Thomas Jr. could re-emerge as the lead wideout in Jacksonville in 2026. However, his stock in both redraft and dynasty fantasy formats has taken a hit after his disappointing 2025 campaign.