Who Should I Start? JuJu Smith-Schuster or Jahan Dotson

Thursday, May 2, 2:33 PM

Starting next month, the New England Patriots could cut wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster at a cost of $9.6 million in dead money and no salary cap relief, per Over the Cap, while releasing him before then would incur $2.6 million more in dead money and take a small chunk out of their league-leading $54 million cap room. If the Pats traded Smith-Schuster after June 1, they'd save almost $7 million in cap space and clear room for their young receivers to see more playing time. New England could prioritize playing time for rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, plus 2023 sixth-rounder Demario Douglas. It all means that Smith-Schuster may no longer be the team's No. 2 receiver, especially with Kendrick Bourne and K.J. Osborn also on the roster.

Monday, January 8, 6:30 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson concluded his disappointing second season in the NFL with just two receptions on three targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 38-10 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the final game of the regular season. It was an improvement following his third zero-catch game of the year in Week 17 in the loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but Dotson was ultimately a big disappointment in 2023 after many fantasy experts predicted a breakout season in his second year in the league. He totaled 49 receptions on 83 targets for 518 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games, a slight step back from when he had a 35-523-7 line in 12 games as a rookie. Dotson and the rest of Washington's offense suffered from quarterback Sam Howell's struggles, and it could be an uphill battle for fantasy relevance again in 2024 with a new coaching staff coming in to replace Ron Rivera.