Who Should I Start? Dontayvion Wicks or Jaylin Noel

Wednesday, September 3, 6:16 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receivers Dontayvion Wicks (calf) and Savion Williams (hamstring) were both listed as limited practice participants on the team's first injury report of the year. Meanwhile, Jayden Reed, who is dealing with a Jones fracture in his foot, was a DNP. Wicks injured his calf in late July and missed most of training camp and all of the preseason. However, the 24-year-old returned to the field last week and has a good shot of suiting up in Week 1 against the division-rival Detroit Lions on Sunday, as does Williams. Even if Reed is unable to play this weekend, Wicks would likely be the fourth-best target for quarterback Jordan Love behind rookie first-rounder Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs and tight end Tucker Kraft, making him avoidable in starting fantasy lineups. Wicks is only rostered in 1% of Yahoo leagues.

Sunday, August 24, 3:49 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel finished his preseason with a quiet stat line of three catches for 18 yards and no touchdowns. Despite the limited production, the rookie third-round pick from Iowa State has garnered significant praise from quarterback C.J. Stroud, who told beat writer Jared Koch that the young wideout "looks great" and is "making plays out here every day." While Noel currently sits behind veteran wide receiver Christian Kirk on the depth chart, Kirk is entering his eighth season and is coming off an injury. Given that his Iowa State teammate, Jayden Higgins, appears to have earned a starting role, Noel could also see the field a fair amount this season. Noel is a solid late-round fantasy flier, especially for managers who believe Kirk may be on the downslope of his career.