Who Should I Start? Damiere Byrd or D.J. Chark

Wednesday, January 17, 12:31 PM

The Houston Texans signed free-agent veteran wide receiver Damiere Byrd to their practice squad on Wednesday. Byrd was released from the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad in late November after playing in just one game for the team in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, when he failed to catch either of his two targets while playing 19 offensive snaps. In 14 games for the Falcons in 2022, he caught 13 of his 23 targets for 268 yards and two touchdowns. The 30-year-old will give the Texans some extra receiver depth for their Divisional Round game this Saturday after they placed Noah Brown (shoulder) on Injured Reserve earlier in the week. Byrd has played in 76 NFL games (28 starts) over eight seasons and has 130 catches for 1,689 yards and seven touchdowns in his career.

Friday, April 19, 2:05 PM

Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Chark Jr., one of the top free-agent receivers available with less than a week until the NFL draft, spent Thursday on a visit with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to a source. The Chargers may draft a receiver as early as the fifth overall pick next Thursday night, but they still need starters and Chark could be an option to help build depth at the position now that Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are both gone. The 27-year-old Chark had a 1,000-yard season with the Jaguars in 20219 and scored eight touchdowns, but injuries and inconsistency have limited him in four years since and he hasn't been reliable for fantasy managers. Chark might be intriguing as a late-round dart throw in fantasy drafts if he were to land in LA, but it would also depend on what the Chargers do at the position in the upcoming draft.