Who Should I Start? DeAndre Hopkins or Calvin Austin III

Friday, July 25, 3:38 PM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (undisclosed) was back in action on Friday after missing the team's Thursday practice with an undisclosed ailment, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said previously that Hopkins was held out as a precaution, and that appears to be the truth. The 33-year-old Hopkins is likely someone who Baltimore will be judicious with in terms of practice workload anyway, so a single-day absence early in camp shouldn't be considered highly worrisome. Hopkins recorded 56 catches for 610 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games split between the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs in 2024. He's more of a supporting piece at this point in his career, but he'll be in the mix with Rashod Bateman as a secondary target option at receiver for Baltimore behind Zay Flowers. The Ravens also have talented tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, so Hopkins could be looking at an even further reduced workload from what he saw last season.

Thursday, July 3, 7:17 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver coach Zach Azzanni noted during the team's minicamp that he believes wide receiver Calvin Austin III is poised to step into the offense's No. 2 pass-catching role. "I think that '2' spot is all Calvin's right now," said Azzanni. The Memphis alum put together his best statistical season in 2024 with a decent 36/548/4 line as the team's third-leading wideout. However, even with the departure of ex-teammate George Pickens vacating 103 targets, it won't be an easy path to fantasy relevance. Pickens was replaced by DK Metcalf, who will garner his fair share of looks, and Austin III will now have to contend with two viable options at tight end in Pat Freiermuth and the newly acquired Jonnu Smith. The 26-year-old offers the most juice on the team, but Pittsburgh's propensity to run and productive teammates will likely limit his fantasy value outside of best ball formats.