Who Should I Start? DeAndre Hopkins or Josh Downs

Saturday, November 23, 2:49 AM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will take on the Carolina Panthers in Week 12. Hopkins had limited success in last week's 21-30 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The veteran receiver reeled in three catches for 29 yards in the team's first loss of the season. Hopkins will be in a more favorable matchup this week against the Panthers, who rank 12th in fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers this season. The Panthers defense is much more beatable than their fantasy points allowed would suggest since most teams do not need to pass very much against them. Hopkins should be capable of producing a great fantasy performance in this week's matchup. The 32-year-old is ranked WR23 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings this week, making him a low-end WR2/WR3 option against the Panthers. Fantasy managers should feel confident starting Hopkins in this matchup despite his inconsistent usage.

Friday, November 22, 6:30 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs leads his team in targets (71) and yards per game (63.0). Quarterback Anthony Richardson looked his way five times in Week 11 and Downs caught all five balls for 84 yards and a touchdown. Coming into the contest with a 44.4% completion rate, there were concerns about Richardson's ability to get his receivers the ball, but he proved that he could still do it, even against a strong Jets pass defense (20-for-30, 66.7%). The Colts are seven-point underdogs for Sunday's contest against the Lions so there should be plenty of opportunities for Downs as the offense tries to keep pace with Detroit. With five catches in six of nine games played and the clear No. 1 receiver, the former third-round draft pick has a pretty reliable floor. The second-year pro sets up as a back-end WR2 this week with some small upside given his ability to find the zone (four TDs in 2024).