Who Should I Start? Jermaine Burton or Xavier Hutchinson

Friday, January 3, 4:02 PM

According to Ben Baby of ESPN, Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton will not travel to Pittsburgh with the team due to a coach's decision. The rookie has had struggles finding playing time during his rookie campaign and will now not even be with the team during their must-win game on Saturday evening. This is a telling sign and could suggest the he is beginning to fall out of favor with the coaching staff. He has not logged at least ten offensive snaps in each of his past five games. Throughout the season, Burton has only caught four of his 14 targets for 107 yards. Fantasy managers should expect Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins (ankle) and Andrei Iosivas to lead the passing attack once again in the regular season finale.

Thursday, January 9, 8:47 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson should not be considered for lineups with the Texans set to play host to the Los Angeles Chargers in a Wild Card meeting on Saturday. The 24-year-old has played more often since Tank Dell (knee) was lost for the season, but still managed just four catches for 34 yards in the past three weeks. With wide receiver Diontae Johnson now in the fold and Robert Woods still around, it's tough to say which, if any, secondary receiver will emerge behind No. 1 option Nico Collins. Additionally, Houston's offense has averaged just 15.6 points in its past five games. Hutchinson wasn't a strong option anyway, but an uncertain target share and an unpredictable passing offense make him avoidable in playoff formats.