Who Should I Start? Jermaine Burton or Arian Smith

Friday, November 28, 10:18 PM

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said that wide receiver Jermaine Burton (ankle) remains week-to-week with an ankle injury, according to ESPN's Ben Baby. Burton has not played at all for the Bengals in 2025, and he doesn't seem particularly close to making his season debut for the team's Week 14 tilt against the Buffalo Bills next Sunday. Even if the 24-year-old pass-catcher can return at some point before the end of the season, he will be hard-pressed to jump into a key role in Cincy's receiving corps. The former third-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft out of Alabama played in 14 games (one start) in his rookie campaign, catching only four of 14 targets for 107 receiving yards and no touchdowns. Character concerns caused him to drop in the draft and followed him into Year 1 in the NFL. Burton reportedly made strides with his maturity in the offseason, but his health hasn't cooperated in 2025.

Wednesday, November 19, 12:15 AM

New York Jets wide receiver Arian Smith had his lowest snap share since Week 1 in the team's 27-14 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 11. Smith played just 15.8% of the snaps and ran 21.2% of the routes, both significantly lower than his season averages. It seems the rookie wideout has moved into a depth role after the Jets acquired two wide receivers at the trade deadline in John Metchie III and Adonai Mitchell. Smith wasn't a fantasy-relevant option to begin with, catching six of 10 targets for 47 yards in 10 games this season.