Who Should I Start? Jordan Matthews or Ja'Lynn Polk

Tuesday, September 17, 6:35 PM

The Carolina Panthers released tight end Jordan Matthews on Tuesday. Matthews had yet to record a statistic in 2024. Fantasy managers may remember Matthews as the tight end who enjoyed success in Philadelphia from 2014 to 2016 prior to the rise of Zach Ertz. Those days are long gone, however, as Matthews has not been a fantasy factor in several years. The Panthers offense is something that fantasy managers should stay away from anyway, and this move does not affect that assessment.

Sunday, September 29, 8:56 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk converted seven targets into three catches for 30 yards during Sunday's Week 4 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Polk had not commanded more than three targets in a single game through the first three weeks of the season, but that evidently changed this week as Polk led the Patriots with seven passes thrown his way. Despite the increased volume, Polk still didn't deliver a very appealing fantasy performance due to his lower catch and yardage totals. On a promising note, he made an impressive grab in heavy coverage along the sideline. It was ruled incomplete, but only because Polk just barely missed getting both feet in bounds. The play should give fantasy managers optimism that Polk can make flashy catches against starting cornerbacks in the NFL. The rookie isn't a reliable option for Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins, but his long-term value continues to grow as he makes an impression early in his Patriots career.