Who Should I Start? Jalin Hyatt or Luke McCaffrey

Sunday, January 4, 12:08 PM

New York Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt (illness) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Dallas Cowboys. Hyatt was listed as questionable. He missed two consecutive practices before upgrading to a limited participant on Friday. The 24-year-old had been a healthy scratch in each of the last two weeks, and he played just four snaps over the last five games. As a result, it's unclear if Hyatt's absence is related to his illness or if he's merely a healthy scratch. Regardless, his absence is notable in a game where the Giants will also be without Wan'Dale Robinson (rib), Ryan Miller (coach's decision), and Theo Johnson (illness). Darius Slayton will operate as the Giants' No. 1 receiver while Gunner Olszewski, Isaiah Hodgins, and Xavier Gipson also get more involved.

Sunday, February 22, 4:59 AM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey (collarbone) had been ascending into a larger role on offense before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 9. McCaffrey suffered a broken collarbone on a kickoff return, ending his season roughly halfway through the year. He only had 11 catches at the time, as most of his contributions had come on special teams. However, he had started to take on more volume just prior to the injury. From Week 3 through Week 8, McCaffrey had 10 catches, 184 yards, and three touchdowns. He ranked as the overall WR42 in PPR leagues during that six-week span. Once the former third-round pick out of Rice recovers from his injury, he'll have a chance to compete for even more targets in this Commanders offense led by new offensive coordinator David Blough. Terry McLaurin remains the top pass-catcher in Washington, but veteran wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and veteran tight end Zach Ertz (knee) are both headed for free agency. There are plenty of vacated targets to go around, and while the Commanders will surely add pass-catchers in the draft and free agency, McCaffrey might get first dibs on the lion's share of those targets because of his experience and familiarity within the Washington system.