Who Should I Start? Ja'Lynn Polk or Ricky Pearsall

Sunday, September 29, 8:56 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk converted seven targets into three catches for 30 yards during Sunday's Week 4 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Polk had not commanded more than three targets in a single game through the first three weeks of the season, but that evidently changed this week as Polk led the Patriots with seven passes thrown his way. Despite the increased volume, Polk still didn't deliver a very appealing fantasy performance due to his lower catch and yardage totals. On a promising note, he made an impressive grab in heavy coverage along the sideline. It was ruled incomplete, but only because Polk just barely missed getting both feet in bounds. The play should give fantasy managers optimism that Polk can make flashy catches against starting cornerbacks in the NFL. The rookie isn't a reliable option for Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins, but his long-term value continues to grow as he makes an impression early in his Patriots career.

Thursday, October 3, 10:27 PM

The San Francisco 49ers are not opening the practice window for rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (chest) this week, but it won't be long until they do. "I know he is really close," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters. "When he's good to go, we'll be pumped to have him back. Ricky is a hell of a player." Pearsall missed a bunch of valuable time in training camp due to a recurring hamstring issue and was then shot in the chest during a burglary right before the start of his rookie season. The 24-year-old remains on the Non-Football Injury list. The good news is it sounds as though he's close to getting on the practice field to work his way back. However, Pearsall has a lot of ground to cover and might need the full 21-day window before the Niners decide to put him on the active roster. Fantasy managers in single-year leagues probably shouldn't expect much, if anything, in 2024. Pearsall is currently rostered in only 8% of Yahoo fantasy leagues.