Who Should I Start? Jerry Jeudy or Emari Demercado

Saturday, December 20, 6:47 AM

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy may be the team's WR1, but he has fallen behind rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. in targets, receptions, and yards for the season; a trend that is unlikely to reverse in Week 16 against the Buffalo Bills. Despite playing 96% of the team's snaps and running a route on all 42 drop-backs in Week 15 against the Chicago Bears, Jeudy managed to haul in just two of his four targets for 22 yards. The veteran wide receiver has failed to gain rapport with rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who prefers to target fellow rookie tight end Fannin Jr. However, the Bills routinely limit opposing tight ends to single-digit fantasy points and are the hardest matchup for that position in the league, which may benefit Jeudy in Week 16. Jeudy still offers big-play upside, and Sanders should have additional time in the pocket this week to take deep shots, which gives him modest upside against the Bills at home this week. Jeudy is a high-risk, low-end WR3 option for deep league fantasy managers and is difficult to trust in Week 16.

Saturday, December 20, 4:26 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado is expected to handle an increased workload against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16, but his fantasy outlook remains murky. He is on track to operate as the backup to Michael Carter this week after Zonovan Knight (ankle) was placed on injured reserve. While Demercado was viewed as Arizona's passing-down specialist at points earlier this season, it's unclear whether that remains his role given how well Carter has performed in the passing game lately. Carter has 19 catches over his last five games, whereas Demercado has just 10 catches through parts of 10 games this year. Rather than being a true passing-down specialist, it seems more likely that the 26-year-old will fall into a change-of-pace role, allowing the Cardinals to manage Carter's workload and keep him fresh. Demercado has shown impressive burst in the past, and his 8.3 yards per carry over the last two seasons indicates that he's capable of breaking off big plays. His fantasy value in Week 16 likely hinges on whether he's able to break off any big runs or catches against the Falcons. In other words, he'll need high efficiency to overcome a backup's workload. He currently ranks as the RB51 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football rankings for Week 16.