Who Should I Start? Jalen Coker or Jayden Higgins

Monday, December 29, 7:00 PM

The Carolina Panthers' offense was virtually non-existent in Sunday's 27-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, with quarterback Bryce Young throwing for only 54 yards on the day. Wide receiver Jalen Coker caught both of his targets for only 16 yards, but that was good enough to lead the team. The dud performance broke a string of six straight games in which Coker had at least three receptions. In Weeks 13, 15, and 16, the 24-year-old pass-catcher had a combined 11 receptions on 15 targets for 181 yards and two touchdown grabs as he appeared to be trending towards becoming the No. 2 WR behind rookie first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan. The entire Carolina offense should bounce back this weekend in the Week 18 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the NFC South title and a trip to the postseason on the line. Don't count out Coker being a serviceable WR4/flex option in deeper fantasy football leagues.

Monday, December 29, 2:39 PM

Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Jayden Higgins got things started in Saturday's Week 17 win over the Chargers with a 75-yard touchdown strike from C.J. Stroud less than two minutes into the game. Four minutes later, it was Higgins' college teammate and fellow rookie Jaylin Noel on the receiving end of a 43-yard touchdown. While neither contributed much during a second half that saw the Texans struggle to maintain drives, Higgins, who finished the day with two catches for 88 yards and the aforementioned score, is still the player to roster heading into any Week 18 fantasy championships. While Saturday was easily his best performance of the season, he has strung together usable weeks in the past, including a stretch from Weeks 8-12 that saw him finish with double-digit points in Half-PPR formats in three of five games. Against a reeling Indianapolis defense in Week 18, Higgins has the potential for one more meaningful flex performance as a plug-and-play option available on most waiver wires.