Who Should I Start? Jaylin Noel or Elic Ayomanor

Sunday, August 24, 3:49 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel finished his preseason with a quiet stat line of three catches for 18 yards and no touchdowns. Despite the limited production, the rookie third-round pick from Iowa State has garnered significant praise from quarterback C.J. Stroud, who told beat writer Jared Koch that the young wideout "looks great" and is "making plays out here every day." While Noel currently sits behind veteran wide receiver Christian Kirk on the depth chart, Kirk is entering his eighth season and is coming off an injury. Given that his Iowa State teammate, Jayden Higgins, appears to have earned a starting role, Noel could also see the field a fair amount this season. Noel is a solid late-round fantasy flier, especially for managers who believe Kirk may be on the downslope of his career.

Saturday, August 23, 11:36 AM

Wide receiver Elic Ayomanor started and caught all three of his targets for 25 yards in Tennessee's preseason-concluding victory against the Minnesota Vikings on Friday. The rookie from Stanford already has developed a connection with Titans quarterback Cameron Ward and looks to be carving out a role for 2025. Ayomanor set up a touchdown with a red zone target on Friday, a week after hauling in a 47-yard pass from Ward. Though Calvin Ridley is all but sure to be the Titans' No. 1 receiver, Ayomanor's competition for playing time is journeyman Van Jefferson and fellow rookie Chimere Dike, making immediate playing time look realistic.