Who Should I Start? Ja'Lynn Polk or Ramel Keyton

Friday, January 3, 6:55 PM

New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk (shoulder) did not practice at all this week and has been ruled out for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, fellow wideout Kayshon Boutte (illness) was cleared to play. The 22-year-old Polk will finish off what has been a bad rookie season early due to a shoulder injury. The second-round selection just never had much of a chance to excel in 2024 in a bad offense with rookie quarterback Drake Maye struggling to find his footing with limited weapons around him. Polk will finish his first year in the NFL with only 12 catches on 33 targets for 87 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games (seven starts). The Patriots will surely look to bring in upgraded receiving options this offseason, giving Polk and others even more competition.

Saturday, August 24, 10:29 AM

Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Ramel Keyton turned heads with a team-leading four receptions for 76 yards in the Raiders' preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers. While this performance certainly helps his case for making the 53-man roster, fantasy managers need to maintain perspective. Even if Keyton survives final cuts, he'll be buried behind established veterans and higher draft picks on the depth chart. His impressive 19.0 yards per catch average in this game hints at big-play ability, but opportunities to showcase this in the regular season will likely be few and far between. Keyton is competing for one of the final receiver spots, which typically translates to special teams duties rather than offensive snaps. For fantasy purposes, Keyton is nothing more than a name to file away in case of multiple injuries to the Raiders' receiving corps during the season. He's not draftable in any fantasy format at this time.