Who Should I Start? JuJu Smith-Schuster or Treylon Burks

Sunday, June 23, 1:30 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) said his injured knee is much healthier than last year, but to the untrained eye, The Athletic's Chad Graff writes that it didn't appear as if Smith-Schuster had the same explosiveness that he did in 2021 or 2022. If he's going to make the 53-man roster out of training camp and the preseason this year, he's going to need to outplay both Kayshon Boutte and Tyquan Thornton this summer while hoping that Jalen Reagor loses the competition for the top kick-returner job. Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne (knee), K.J. Osborn and rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker appear to be roster locks at the position. The 27-year-old Smith-Schuster had just 260 receiving yards in 11 games in 2023 for New England and is well off the fantasy radar entering the 2024 campaign, even if he does somehow make the final roster.

Tuesday, June 4, 3:56 PM

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks was working as a gunner on the punt team on Tuesday, and he might need to carve out a role on special teams to ensure he's on the team's active roster in 2024. When asked if Burks will have to contribute on special teams, head coach Brian Callahan said, "Absolutely, he's going to have to contribute. You only get so many hats on game day, and if he's one of those guys on game day, we're going to have to find a place for him." This is far from a great sign for dynasty fantasy managers holding Burks on rosters, and the report will likely drop his 2024 fantasy value even further. If he fails to make an impact on special teams, he could find himself as a healthy scratch during the regular season. On the flip side, the team being willing to put him on special teams indicates he's likely stuck in the WR4 role behind DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, and Tyler Boyd. Even if one of those players gets injured, his fantasy floor would be low, and his ceiling would be limited based on his production through his first 22 NFL games (665 yards).