Who Should I Start? Dontayvion Wicks or Ja'Lynn Polk

Sunday, January 12, 9:36 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks was consistently relied upon during the Packers' 22-10 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles on Wild Card Weekend. Wicks was the top remaining receiver following injuries to Romeo Doubs (concussion) and Jayden Reed (shoulder) in the second half. Earning a team-high six targets on the afternoon, Wicks could only bring in two of those targets for 39 yards. He had an opportunity for a deep shot early but Jordan Love's throw ultimately was underthrown and the Eagles' Darius Slay made the interception early in the second quarter. Wicks' season was a bit of a rollercoaster with drops and inconsistent playing time, but he still led the Packers in targets (75) in 2024 to go along with 39 catches, 415 yards, and five touchdowns. For fantasy purposes, Wicks should be a late-round upside wide receiver.

Friday, January 3, 6:55 PM

New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk (shoulder) did not practice at all this week and has been ruled out for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, fellow wideout Kayshon Boutte (illness) was cleared to play. The 22-year-old Polk will finish off what has been a bad rookie season early due to a shoulder injury. The second-round selection just never had much of a chance to excel in 2024 in a bad offense with rookie quarterback Drake Maye struggling to find his footing with limited weapons around him. Polk will finish his first year in the NFL with only 12 catches on 33 targets for 87 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games (seven starts). The Patriots will surely look to bring in upgraded receiving options this offseason, giving Polk and others even more competition.