Who Should I Start? Jalen McMillan or Jaylin Noel

Tuesday, August 26, 9:23 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed wide receiver Jalen McMillan (neck) on Injured Reserve with a return designation on Tuesday. The move means that McMillan will be eligible to come back in Week 5, but he may have to miss more time than that as he recovers from a sprained neck. The 23-year-old suffered the injury in a preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 16. McMillan, a third-round pick from Washington in 2024, impressed with 37 catches, 461 yards, and eight touchdowns in 13 games. He hauled in seven of those scores in the Buccaneers' final five games of the season, but he won't be able to build on that performance until at least October. The Bucs will also open the year without Chris Godwin (ankle), which will give first-round rookie Emeka Egbuka a prime opportunity to step up as the team's No. 2 receiver after Mike Evans.

Sunday, August 24, 3:49 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel finished his preseason with a quiet stat line of three catches for 18 yards and no touchdowns. Despite the limited production, the rookie third-round pick from Iowa State has garnered significant praise from quarterback C.J. Stroud, who told beat writer Jared Koch that the young wideout "looks great" and is "making plays out here every day." While Noel currently sits behind veteran wide receiver Christian Kirk on the depth chart, Kirk is entering his eighth season and is coming off an injury. Given that his Iowa State teammate, Jayden Higgins, appears to have earned a starting role, Noel could also see the field a fair amount this season. Noel is a solid late-round fantasy flier, especially for managers who believe Kirk may be on the downslope of his career.