Who Should I Start? Dontayvion Wicks or Ricky Pearsall

Friday, January 9, 4:25 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (concussion) has officially been ruled out for Saturday night's NFC Wild-Card matchup against the divisional-rival Chicago Bears, according to the team. Wicks suffered a concussion in the Week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and will now miss a second straight game. Other than a six-catch, 94-yard, two-touchdown breakout in the Thanksgiving Day win over the Detroit Lions, the 24-year-old Wicks did very little for fantasy managers in 2025 in his third year in the league. Wicks found the end zone nine times combined his first two years in the league, but he had just two touchdowns this year while catching a career-low 30 passes for 332 yards. It remains to be seen if he'll clear the league's concussion protocol to play in the Divisional Round next week if Green Bay beats the Bears.

Sunday, February 15, 4:31 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is trending up ahead of the NFL offseason. Fellow Niners receiver Jauan Jennings is headed for free agency, and given that his relationship with the team is rocky, it seems likely that he'll sign somewhere else. If Jennings does leave, and Brandon Aiyuk also departs as expected, that will open the door for Pearsall to step into the No. 1 receiver role. He showed the ability to handle a top role at times in 2025, but injuries prevented fantasy managers from being able to fully evaluate him. He ultimately finished his second pro season with 36 catches, 528 yards, and zero touchdowns across nine games. Because of his injury history, it might be tough for the 49ers to trust Pearsall as their No. 1 receiver. We wouldn't be surprised to see them go out and grab a top pass-catcher via trade or free agency, leaving Pearsall in the No. 2 role once again. He can absolutely still offer upside in fantasy football, though. The 49ers have a very capable offense, so Pearsall will be able to turn any workload into fantasy points. He ranks as a fringe top-36 fantasy receiver for 2026 and would jump into the top 24 if the 49ers don't bring in any competition for him.