Who Should I Start? Jermaine Burton or Troy Franklin

Thursday, May 22, 1:47 PM

Cincinnati Bengals second-year wide receiver Jermaine Burton, who is coming off a tumultuous rookie campaign that saw him suspended, evicted and left behind on a road trip, has slowly made an impression on quarterback Joe Burrow and head coach Zac Taylor, according to The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. Burrow has pointed out Burton's growth in "maturity" as he handles his business this spring. "All he can handle is the present at this point," Taylor said. "I think he's done a good job of that this offseason. He's been in the building. He's in the building outside of work hours, doing his own thing, prehabbing to get his body right. He has attacked practice the right way, and that is what you can control right now, so I appreciate that much." It's a step in the right direction for the 23-year-old former third-rounder, but Burton has a ways to go to get back in the team's good graces.

Thursday, June 12, 9:28 PM

Denver Broncos second-year wide receiver Troy Franklin has had a good offseason, has looked more explosive and added about five pounds, according to head coach Sean Payton. The Broncos took the Oregon product in the fourth round (102nd overall) in last year's draft to pair him with college teammate and quarterback Bo Nix. The slim pass-catcher's chemistry with Nix didn't really translate in Year 1 in the NFL, as he finished with 28 catches for 263 yards and two touchdowns on 53 targets over 16 regular-season games (six starts). The No. 2 role behind Courtland Sutton is up for grabs in Denver, with Franklin competing with Marvin Mims Jr., Devaughn Vele and rookie Pat Bryant for a bigger role in 2025. The addition of pass-catching tight end Evan Engram won't help. Franklin is worth keeping an eye on in training camp, but for now, he's outside of RotoBaller's top-100 fantasy receivers.