Who Should I Start? DeVonta Smith or J.J. McCarthy

Friday, December 5, 10:18 PM

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith failed to impress last week against the Bears, finishing with a mediocre five catches for 48 yards on eight targets. He and A.J. Brown both racked up a hefty majority of looks from Jalen Hurts, but while Brown turned those into a dominant showing, Smith fell behind on the stat sheet. Another problem is that Smith has now matched his longest scoreless streak of the season, going three straight games without finding the end zone. In Week 14 he's up against a Chargers defense allowing just 168.3 passing yards per game-good for second-best in the league. Philly already totes a lackluster passing game-averaging 196.3 yards per game-so there may not be enough to go around for Smith and Brown, not to mention the other weapons on the Eagles offense. It's a scary week to rely on him, so Smith should hover around a low-end WR2/FLEX spot versus Los Angeles.

Friday, December 12, 4:32 PM

Coming off the best game of his young NFL career, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will see another quality fantasy matchup when the Vikings travel to Dallas in Week 15. The former Michigan star has been particularly hot-and-cold, even for a young quarterback, but managers in Superflex formats can consider him an option this week against the Cowboys' defense. While Dallas leads the NFL in pressure percentage, the Cowboys rank 31st in passing yards allowed, 30th in net yards per attempt, and 32nd in passing touchdowns surrendered. The biggest issue for McCarthy has been turnovers, but he's coming off a week in which he played turnover-free ball and set a career-best mark for passer rating in a decisive win against Washington. McCarthy is rushing for nearly five yards per attempt and still has an excellent collection of weapons, giving him lineup potential if he can continue to build upon last week's blueprint.