Who Should I Start? Drake Maye or Troy Franklin

Sunday, January 11, 4:24 PM

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye put together a phenomenal regular season, and he'll look to carry that momentum into Sunday's Wild Card contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. Maye was the overall QB2 in fantasy scoring this year, but he'll face a tough test in the form of this Chargers defense. Los Angeles surrendered the second-fewest fantasy points, third-fewest passing touchdowns, and fourth-fewest passing yards to opposing quarterbacks in 2025. The Bolts have also intercepted 19 passes, which is third-most in the NFL. Maye has excelled against tough defenses in the past, so he'll just need to play diligent, clean football with the season on the line Sunday. One possible route to success for Maye is running the football. Just last weekend, Bo Nix rushed for a season-high 49 yards against the Chargers, and we could see Maye follow a similar style of play. He has six passing touchdowns over his last two games and remains a high-upside option for Wild Card Weekend.

Friday, January 9, 3:12 PM

Across 17 games in 2025, Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin recorded 65 receptions for 709 yards and six touchdowns on 104 targets. While Franklin's full-season numbers are solid, his production and role in the Denver offense faded over the second half of the year. The 22-year-old recorded just four receptions for 17 yards on five targets across his final two games of the regular season, including a zero-catch performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18. Franklin also played more than 53% of the Broncos' offensive snaps just once in six games following the team's Week 12 bye, losing playing time in favor of rookie wideout Pat Bryant. Denver has a bye through the first round of the AFC playoffs, so it's not yet clear who Franklin's first matchup will be. However, Franklin's diminished role in the Broncos' passing game could be a reason for fantasy managers in playoff leagues to avoid him.