Who Should I Start? Daurice Fountain or Allen Lazard

Thursday, August 1, 9:37 AM

Detroit Lions wide receiver Daurice Fountain has played in just eight games since entering the NFL in 2018 as a fifth-round pick out of North Iowa. He has just two receptions for 23 yards on his resume. However, the 28-year-old got first-team reps last week while third-year wideout Jameson Williams was out of action, and he made the most of his opportunities. "Fountain was one of the standouts of June's minicamp and the lanky wideout has kept the momentum into July," Jeff Risdon of the Lions Wire wrote. "When Jameson Williams wasn't practicing on Friday, Fountain stepped into some of Jamo's first-team reps and played well. His blocking and attention to detail on his routes both received audible praise from WR coach Antwan Randle El." Risdon noted that Fountain didn't have a great day on the first day of pads, but this is still noteworthy considering Fountain is largely unknown. While it would be a surprise if he's on the fantasy football radar in 2024, the team is thin at wide receiver behind superstar Amon-Ra St. Brown and the unproven Williams. He's not worth drafting in leagues of all shapes and sizes right now, but he is worth monitoring as training camp progresses.

Saturday, December 14, 12:40 PM

New York Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard made his return from Injured Reserve due to a chest injury in the Week 14 overtime loss to the division-rival Miami Dolphins and caught his only target for an 18-yard pickup. Lazard did play 78 percent of the offensive snaps, but as expected, he was the clear WR3 behind Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams. There's no discounting the 29-year-old's rapport with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and he should see more involvement down the stretch as he gets further away from his chest injury. However, it's going to be hard to count on him for consistent fantasy production as long as Wilson and Adams stay healthy. In Week 14, Wilson and Adams combined for 223 yards and a score on 21 targets, with Lazard seeing just the lone target. Lazard should be on the waiver wire in 12-team fantasy leagues and should be benched in Week 15 in deeper formats against the Jaguars.