Who Should I Start? Jacob Cowing or Isaac TeSlaa

Monday, January 5, 7:45 PM

The San Francisco 49ers will open the 21-day practice window for wide receiver Jacob Cowing (hamstring) this week, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Cowing will practice with the team on Wednesday, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. The 24-year-old is getting closer to returning from Injured Reserve, but he could still be unlikely to be activated to play in the Wild-Card playoff game this Sunday against the hosting Philadelphia Eagles. If Cowing does end up playing against the Eagles, he will most likely only have a role on special teams after missing the entire 2025 regular season. The former fourth-round selection in 2024 out of Arizona caught four of his six targets for 80 yards in 15 games last year in his first season in the NFL. Cowing will be a long shot to surface as an option in playoff fantasy formats.

Thursday, February 12, 7:54 AM

Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa got off to a slow start in 2025, but he seemed to turn a corner near the end of the regular season. Over the final three weeks of the season, he caught eight of 12 targets for 119 yards and two touchdowns, ranking as the overall WR17 in half-PPR leagues during that span. It was an encouraging end to his rookie campaign, and while anything could happen during the upcoming offseason, it seems like he's trending toward being the Lions' established No. 3 receiver in 2026. If TeSlaa remains the third receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, he could have occasional WR3/flex appeal while also being an appealing injury handcuff. Managers in dynasty leagues should hold TeSlaa for now, but there could be an opportunity to buy low before free agency gets underway.