Who Should I Start? Jalen Nailor or Ricky Pearsall

Friday, October 31, 4:41 PM

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor will have some outside streaming appeal in deep leagues when the Vikings travel to play the Detroit Lions in Week 9. The former Michigan State Spartan has played at least 59% of the team's offensive snaps in every game this season, and he's drawn at least four targets in five of Minnesota's seven games. The Lions' defense is holding opponents to points on fewer than a third of possessions, but quite a bit of the damage has been through the air, as Detroit has allowed 14 passing touchdowns in just seven weeks. Though second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy will return from an ankle injury this week, Minnesota has continued to favor three-receiver looks that will give Nailor opportunities. He'll naturally be behind receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, though, which will make Nailor a touchdown-dependent option for managers in very deep leagues.

Wednesday, November 5, 5:50 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) will not practice on Wednesday, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Pearsall has not practiced or played since spraining his PCL in the Week 4 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he doesn't appear to be on track to make his long-awaited return this weekend for the divisional battle against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in Week 10. The 25-year-old former first-rounder is still rostered in 77% of Yahoo leagues, but he's running out of time to make an impact this year for his fantasy managers. And at this point, it's fair to wonder if even Brandon Aiyuk (knee) will be back with the Niners before Pearsall. In his four games played in 2025, Pearsall has 20 receptions for 327 yards and no touchdowns. If Pearsall can't return this weekend, his next chance to play will come in Week 11 for another divisional affair against the Arizona Cardinals.