Who Should I Start? JuJu Smith-Schuster or Terry McLaurin

Thursday, September 11, 4:14 PM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster finished second on the team in targets (five) in Week 1, hauling in five catches for 55 yards. With top Chiefs wideouts Xavier Worthy (shoulder) and Rashee Rice (suspension) both currently sidelined, Smith-Schuster could be a consistent feature in the team's passing game over the next few weeks. While the 28-year-old is not an explosive player, he has shown an ability to be a reliable short-area target, particularly when playing next to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Because of his projectable floor as a target earner, Smith-Schuster could be a useful bench receiver in deep PPR-leagues while Kansas City is battling wide receiver injuries

Wednesday, September 10, 4:01 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was slow out of the gate in Week 1 against the Giants, catching two of his four targets for 27 yards. A slow start to the season could have been somewhat expected for McLaurin after limited practice time amidst his contract negotiations. The talk of a slow start could have been mitigated if he and Jayden Daniels were able to connect on a deep shot where McLaurin had his man beat badly on a double move. With the new acquisition, Deebo Samuel Sr. making his team debut, play caller Kliff Kingsbury made an emphasis to get Samuel involved, and he has established a good connection with Daniels after McLaurin missed a lot of time in training camp. A positive, at least for McLaurin, is that he did not face any restrictions regarding his snap count and routes. The star receiver started slow last season as he built rapport with Daniels, and should be expected to bounce back against an exploitable Green Bay secondary. McLaurin has faced the Packers three times in his career and has put up strong numbers, catching 16 of 27 targets for 252 yards and three touchdowns. He should be viewed as a mid-range WR2 with upside in a projected high-scoring Week 2 matchup against the Packers.