Who Should I Start? DeAndre Hopkins or Josh Palmer

Thursday, September 12, 6:22 PM

Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (knee) said his knee injury is a sprain similar to an ankle sprain, and it isn't a tear. Hopkins played in the Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears despite entering with a questionable tag, but he played only 27% of the offensive snaps, which was fourth among Titans pass-catchers. It led to just one catch on his only target for an eight-yard gain. The 32-year-old veteran and five-time Pro Bowler clearly wasn't fully healthy. However, he's off the Week 2 injury report entirely and is expected to have a much bigger role in Week 2 against the New York Jets. Fantasy managers should expect Hopkins to be more involved on offense this Sunday, but his conditioning is still a question mark, and the matchup against the Jets isn't idea. Hopkins' fantasy stock is certainly down in 2024, but he should be a slightly more attractive WR4/flex another week removed from his knee sprain.

Thursday, September 12, 4:14 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer (knee) had a rough game in Week 1, picking up a knee injury and getting ejected while only putting up two catches for 15 yards. Assuming he's healthy after picking up a limited tag in practice, Palmer should be in a much better place to perform against a Panthers defense that coughed up 47 points in the season opener. Palmer should operate as the team's WR1 and was on the field for 81% of the offensive snaps in Week 1. As long as he plays, he's essentially a lock to outscore his 2.5 fantasy point performance from the Raiders matchup. If healthy, Palmer is a fairly safe WR3 with decent upside.