Who Should I Start? Darius Slayton or Justin Jefferson

Thursday, February 12, 7:34 AM

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton has shown flashes of upside plenty of times throughout his career, but he continues to struggle to emerge as a consistent fantasy threat week over week. Part of the difficulty for Slayton has been quarterback play, but that changed in 2025 when rookie Jaxson Dart took the reins of the offense. However, the other part of the problem has been Slayton's role on the depth chart, and the outlook there remains bleak. We did temporarily jump to second on the depth chart behind Wan'Dale Robinson after Malik Nabers (knee) tore his ACL -- resulting in 37 catches, 538 yards, and a touchdown -- he'll drop back to third if Nabers is healthy for the start of 2026. Plus, tight end Theo Johnson will continue to command plenty of targets, and the same can be said about running back Cam Skattebo (ankle). If there's any glimmer of hope for Slayton, it's the fact that Robinson is an impending free agent. However, the Giants have been very outspoken about their plans to bring Robinson back. It seems likely that Slayton will remain the Giants' No. 3 receiver in 2026, leaving his value to hinge on a teammate's injury. He's not worth drafting in typical redraft leagues, and he can be stashed on the bench only in deeper dynasty formats.

Tuesday, February 17, 9:11 AM

For the first time since the end of his explosive rookie season, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is being priced outside the top five of the position in dynasty startups. Still only 26 years old, the dip in value is in no way indicative of a decline in talent but rather stems from the poor quarterback play that contributed to his career-worst 9.4 fantasy points per game in 2025. Unfortunately for Jefferson and the Vikings, no quick fix appears to be coming to Minnesota, with the team likely to give third-year signal-caller J.J. McCarthy one more shot to lock down the starting job for 2026. It should come as no surprise if the team also brings in a veteran presence for a training camp competition, though the free agent market is relatively barren. Head coach Kevin O'Connell has long been regarded as a quarterback whisperer, but unless he's able to draw a drastic improvement from McCarthy or whomever he deems worthy of leading the team moving forward, Jefferson's value could continue to slide.