Who Should I Start? Jack Bech or Jayden Higgins

Friday, February 13, 3:38 PM

A second-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jack Bech was viewed as a potential breakout candidate heading into his rookie season. However, the 23-year-old struggled in his first NFL campaign, hauling in just 20 receptions for 224 yards and zero touchdowns on 29 targets across 16 games played. On the bright side, Bech was more productive down the stretch of the season, after Las Vegas traded away veteran wideout Jakobi Meyers at the trade deadline. Across his last five games of 2025, Bech recorded 12 catches for 132 yards on 17 targets. Outside of star tight end Brock Bowers and any possible 2026 draft day additions, no dominant pass-catchers are standing in the way of Bech earning more playing time and targets. The Raiders may also have a talent infusion under center, as Las Vegas is widely expected to take Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the number one overall selection in the upcoming NFL Draft. Still, Bech did little as a rookie to establish himself as an up-and-coming star, and his fantasy stock in dynasty leagues is trending downward after his underwhelming rookie season.

Wednesday, February 4, 4:17 PM

The Houston Texans selected wide receiver Jayden Higgins in the second round in 2025 out of Iowa State, and he finished his rookie season in the NFL with 41 receptions on 68 targets for 525 yards and six touchdowns in 17 regular-season contests. Higgins was the Texans' third leading receiver behind Nico Collins and tight end Dalton Schultz. In the team's two playoff games, the 23-year-old caught nine of his 14 targets for 98 yards. Higgins' success going forward will be tied to whether quarterback C.J. Stroud can bounce back following a couple of disappointing campaigns after his outstanding rookie year, but either way, he should be Houston's No. 2 behind Collins with Christian Kirk hitting free agency this March. Higgins has the size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and speed to take a big step forward with more targets in his sophomore season.