Who Should I Start? Jaylen Warren or Brian Thomas Jr.

Tuesday, September 16, 11:32 AM

On the heels of a dynamic receiving performance, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren is a top-12 fantasy option at his position through the first two weeks of the season. The fourth-year pro hauled in all four of his targets for 86 yards in Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks. While his efficiency on the ground leaves room for improvement, Warren currently leads Pittsburgh in both rushing and receiving heading into a Week 3 duel against the New England Patriots. The inconsistencies we've seen from the Steelers' offense are likely to continue throughout the year, but Warren appears locked in as a focal point. Rookie Kaleb Johnson made a costly mistake on special teams and will need to earn the trust of the coaching staff before carving out an offensive role, while veteran Kenneth Gainwell has been ineffective with his touches to this point. All things considered, Warren is shaping up to be one of the best values in fantasy drafts and can be reliably started as an RB2 moving forward.

Monday, September 15, 2:12 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars second-year wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (wrist) has not had the start that fantasy managers were hoping for after spending a late first or early second on him in drafts. His disappointing performance against the Bengals on Sunday saw him reel in four catches for 49 yards while making a bad drop near the goal line late in the game. According to head coach Liam Coen, Thomas Jr. was dealing with a wrist injury heading into the game. Having gone through a week of practice without appearing on the injury report, it's difficult to say when the injury was sustained or how much of a cause it has played in the lackluster start to his season. The Jaguars face the Texans in week 3, and it will be worth monitoring Thomas Jr.'s injury status throughout the week, but managers should continue to start him with better days presumably ahead.