Who Should I Start? Dontayvion Wicks or Ricky Pearsall

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.

Thursday, May 29, 6:04 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) is dealing with a hamstring injury and likely won't return to practice until training camp at the end of July, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. It doesn't sound like it's a serious injury for Pearsall, the but Niners won't take any chances with last year's first-rounder after he also dealt with hammy issues going into his rookie season in 2024. The 24-year-old pass-catcher then suffered a gunshot wound to his chest and didn't make his NFL debut until Week 7. He's expected to have a key role in the offense in his sophomore season with Deebo Samuel Sr. no longer in town and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) unlikely to be ready for the start of the season, but Pearsall is going to lose valuable reps this offseason to gain chemistry with quarterback Brock Purdy. Pearsall could still be ready for Week 1, but this news doesn't do anything to dispel the notion that Pearsall is injury-prone.