Who Should I Start? DJ Moore or Terry McLaurin

Friday, September 12, 11:17 PM

Chicago Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore had an up-and-down season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, catching three of five targets for 68 yards while adding three carries for eight yards on the ground. Moore had chances for a bigger day, including a potential touchdown that Caleb Williams overthrew and a missed fourth-down conversion where Moore was open across the middle. What's more concerning is that Moore trailed second-year receiver Rome Odunze in snap count, target share, and route participation, a trend worth monitoring in the future. Still, Week 2 brings a favorable matchup against the Detroit Lions, who allowed the most receiving yards to wideouts in 2024. Moore has historically thrived against Detroit, posting at least six catches and 60 yards, along with scoring a touchdown in three of his last four meetings. Moore enters this NFC North showdown as a high-end WR3 with upside, especially if Williams can connect on the opportunities that slipped away in Week 1.

Wednesday, September 10, 4:01 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was slow out of the gate in Week 1 against the Giants, catching two of his four targets for 27 yards. A slow start to the season could have been somewhat expected for McLaurin after limited practice time amidst his contract negotiations. The talk of a slow start could have been mitigated if he and Jayden Daniels were able to connect on a deep shot where McLaurin had his man beat badly on a double move. With the new acquisition, Deebo Samuel Sr. making his team debut, play caller Kliff Kingsbury made an emphasis to get Samuel involved, and he has established a good connection with Daniels after McLaurin missed a lot of time in training camp. A positive, at least for McLaurin, is that he did not face any restrictions regarding his snap count and routes. The star receiver started slow last season as he built rapport with Daniels, and should be expected to bounce back against an exploitable Green Bay secondary. McLaurin has faced the Packers three times in his career and has put up strong numbers, catching 16 of 27 targets for 252 yards and three touchdowns. He should be viewed as a mid-range WR2 with upside in a projected high-scoring Week 2 matchup against the Packers.