Who Should I Start? Ja'Lynn Polk or Xavier Legette

Sunday, October 6, 9:54 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk converted six targets into just one catch for 13 yards during Sunday's Week 5 loss to the Miami Dolphins. While the rookie's fantasy output was disappointing, managers should feel optimistic about some of his underlying statistics. For starters, Polk has 13 targets over the last two weeks combined, which is the highest mark on the team during that span. He also played 100 percent of snaps on Sunday, becoming the first Patriots wide receiver to play every offensive snap in a single game this season. (No New England wide receiver previously eclipsed the 85-percent mark.) Furthermore, he came very close to catching his second career touchdown pass, missing out on the go-ahead score by mere inches as his foot barely landed out of bounds. All in all, Polk has emerged as one of Jacoby Brissett's favorite weapons as of late. While it hasn't led to noteworthy fantasy production, he's still on the radar as an up-and-coming pass-catcher in the New England offense. He's worth monitoring in deeper leagues as the season carries on. His next chance to leave an impression will come in Week 6 when the Patriots host the Houston Texans.

Wednesday, October 9, 2:28 PM

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (shoulder) exited the Week 5 game against the Chicago Bears with a shoulder injury, but he is practicing on Wednesday to begin Week 6 preparation. The rookie first-round pick out of South Carolina had the best performance of his career in Week 4, catching six of his 10 targets for 66 yards and a touchdown. Carolina's offense looked strong under quarterback Andy Dalton against the Raiders and Bengals before being held to just 10 points in the blowout loss to Chicago. If Legette can suit up on Sunday, he'll face an Atlanta Falcons defense that has surrendered the 12th-most fantasy points per game to wideouts. With Adam Thielen (hamstring) on the Injured Reserve list, Legette is a fine flex option, but he has a WR4/WR5 outlook.