Who Should I Start? Jaylen Waddle or Ricky Pearsall

Saturday, December 20, 7:44 AM

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has clearly been the Dolphins' go-to wide receiver since Tyreek Hill (knee) sustained a season-ending injury, but this week against the Bengals, he'll be working with a new QB, which makes him much higher risk. Last week against the Steelers, Waddle only managed two catches for 26 yards in the Dolphins' defeat. Since that loss eliminated the team from playoff contention, it was also likely the end of the season for Tua Tagovailoa, who will be replaced by Quinn Ewers for this week's matchup. Waddle has turned his 90 targets into 59 catches for 838 receiving yards and six touchdowns this season, and he should remain the focus of the passing game with a high ceiling. The rookie QB taking over does raise Waddle's risk, though, which is why he's slid to no. 24 in RotoBaller's WR rankings this week, making him a WR3 or flex play in standard leagues, instead of a reliable WR2.

Saturday, December 27, 4:35 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle) logged three limited practices this week and has been tagged as questionable for Week 17. Pearsall's six-catch, 96-yard performance in Week 15 was a welcome turnaround after logging just five catches and 20 yards in the 49ers' previous three games. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle sprain and reaggravated his PCL injury in that game, which prevented him from playing last week. The 49ers square off against the Bears on Sunday Night Football, limiting fantasy managers' options should Pearsall suffer any setbacks or be declared inactive at the last minute. Despite a forgiving matchup against a leaky Bears defense, the timing of the game makes Pearsall a risky flex option. Interested managers should stash another flex-worthy candidate from the game or Monday's Rams-Falcons clash as an insurance policy.