Who Should I Start? Javon Baker or Devaughn Vele

Thursday, September 12, 2:43 PM

New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Javon Baker was a healthy scratch for the Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. While this is a concern for his future outlook, some first-year players take longer to adjust to the NFL than others. Patriots wide receiver coach Tyler Hughes said, "I think we'll see him more and more as the season goes on." Four Patriots wideouts saw targets in Week 1, including K.J. Osborn (six), Demario Douglas (three), Tyquan Thornton (three), and Ja'Lynn Polk (one). It's worth noting Kendrick Bourne (knee) is on the PUP list, but he could return as soon as Week 5. Fantasy managers should probably expect Baker to have little to no fantasy value in Year 1, but he could make noise later in his career and should continue to be stashed in deep dynasty leagues.

Friday, September 13, 9:28 PM

Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Devaughn Vele (ribs) missed practice all week with an injury to his ribs and was officially ruled out on Friday for the team's Week 2 home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's extremely disappointing for Vele, who caught all eight of his targets for 39 yards on 49% of the offensive snaps in the Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The 26-year-old seventh-round selection this year seems to have already built some nice chemistry with fellow rookie quarterback Bo Nix, but he'll have to get healthy first before hoping to carve out a role as the WR3 in Denver in his first year in the NFL. For now, Vele is mostly just a bench stash in deep fantasy leagues and dynasty/keeper formats. Vele's absence on Sunday will create more targets for Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds and Marvin Mims Jr. against a tough defense.