Who Should I Start? Jalen Coker or Pat Bryant

Thursday, August 28, 12:11 PM

Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said specifically that wide receiver Jalen Coker will play in the slot this year after the team traded veteran Adam Thielen to the Minnesota Vikings this week. Morgan also called Coker "a baller." Now that Thielen is out of town, the 23-year-old second-year pass-catcher projects to start in the slot in three-wide sets alongside rookie first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan and Xavier Legette. After going undrafted last year, Coker signed with the Panthers and made noise in his first year in the NFL with 32 catches on 46 targets for 478 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games (four starts). Coker was Carolina's top slot receiver from Weeks 5-10 when Thielen was injured, and he was in a near every-down role to close out the year. Coker is ranked as the No. 63 receiver at RotoBaller and is worth a late-round flier as a sleeper in upcoming fantasy drafts.

Sunday, August 24, 3:36 PM

Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant, a third-round pick out of Illinois, finished his impressive preseason with 10 catches for 129 yards. The 6'3", 190-pound wideout, who had 54 catches for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns his senior year, has earned the backup role to the team's top wideout, Courtland Sutton. This was made possible by the Broncos' trade of Devaughn Vele to the New Orleans Saints on August 20, which moved Bryant up the depth chart. The rookie has received a lot of praise from coach Sean Payton and is a player to keep an eye on. If anything were to happen to Sutton, Bryant could immediately step into a significant role, making him a sneaky late-round pick in drafts and a future waiver-wire target.