Who Should I Start? Jordan Whittington or Jayden Higgins

Thursday, December 18, 1:22 AM

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Jordan Whittington could earn more targets during Thursday's Week 16 contest against the Seattle Seahawks with Davante Adams (hamstring) not expected to play. Los Angeles has shown an inconsistent pecking order behind Adams and Puka Nacua this year, with players like Whittington, Xavier Smith, Tutu Atwell, and Konata Mumpfield all getting different opportunities to produce. With that said, Whittington is the early favorite to step up as the No. 2 receiver alongside Nacua this week. He had two games with a snap share of at least 80% before the Rams' Week 6 bye, and he also commanded four targets in the game that Nacua missed earlier in the year. His role has dwindled lately, and his usage fell all the way down to a 6% snap share last week (partly due to injury). However, he is still one of the more established and dependable receivers on the depth chart, and he should get the first crack at earning Adams' vacated targets. With that said, he'll be going up against a strong Seahawks defense that has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers in 2025. Between his non-guaranteed role and a challenging matchup, Whittington isn't a dependable fantasy option in most leagues for Week 16.

Monday, December 29, 2:39 PM

Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Jayden Higgins got things started in Saturday's Week 17 win over the Chargers with a 75-yard touchdown strike from C.J. Stroud less than two minutes into the game. Four minutes later, it was Higgins' college teammate and fellow rookie Jaylin Noel on the receiving end of a 43-yard touchdown. While neither contributed much during a second half that saw the Texans struggle to maintain drives, Higgins, who finished the day with two catches for 88 yards and the aforementioned score, is still the player to roster heading into any Week 18 fantasy championships. While Saturday was easily his best performance of the season, he has strung together usable weeks in the past, including a stretch from Weeks 8-12 that saw him finish with double-digit points in Half-PPR formats in three of five games. Against a reeling Indianapolis defense in Week 18, Higgins has the potential for one more meaningful flex performance as a plug-and-play option available on most waiver wires.