Who Should I Start? Jermaine Burton or Jalen Royals

Saturday, August 23, 5:37 PM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton (knee) exited Saturday's loss to the Colts. He did not return. The wideout injured his knee during the Bengals' preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles and didn't play in the Monday Night Football clash with the Washington Commanders. Burton managed to suit up for the preseason finale, although he caught only one of his four targets for 16 yards before his premature departure. Head coach Zac Taylor couldn't provide an update while speaking after the game, so fantasy managers should consider him as day-to-day. However, Burton's fantasy outlook doesn't look promising even if he gets a positive update about his knee, especially since he's expected to be at least the No. 4 receiver on the depth chart behind Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Andrei Iosivas. If anything, he'll get most of his work on special teams.

Wednesday, September 3, 8:59 AM

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals (knee) has been ruled out for Friday's season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. The fourth-round pick has been sidelined for multiple weeks with knee tendinitis and did not travel with the team to Brazil on Wednesday. Royals was expected to provide depth behind third-year starter Rashee Rice, who is suspended for the first six games. With both Royals and Rice unavailable, veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster is positioned to take on a larger role. Smith-Schuster, who rejoined the Chiefs in 2024 after Rice suffered a season-ending LCL injury, has an opportunity to stabilize the passing game early in the year. Royals' next opportunity to make his NFL debut is against the Philadelphia Eagles. - Nathan Harvey