Who Should I Start? Justin Herbert or Kenny Pickett

Thursday, July 24, 5:55 PM

The Athletic's Daniel Popper writes that Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey's chemistry with quarterback Justin Herbert continues to blossom in Year 2 and described it as a "seemingly telepathic connection." McConkey knows when to sit down on routes against certain defensive looks, when to manipulate defensive leverages and when to expect the ball from Herbert on either shoulder. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said this week that McConkey "is uncoverable right now by one guy." For the 23-year-old Georgia product to really thrive, he needs one of Quentin Johnston or rookies Tre Harris and Keandre Lambert-Smith to threaten defenses deep down the field. McConkey was a stud in his first year in the NFL, catching 82 of his 112 targets for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns. Despite being in a run-first offense, he's a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 in fantasy.

Monday, July 28, 2:59 PM

Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett (hamstring) left the team's Saturday practice with a hamstring injury, and head coach Kevin Stefanski would not disclose the severity of the injury when meeting with the media on Monday. Stefanski reportedly said that Joe Flacco will handle the majority of first-team reps for the team in the immediate future, according to Tony Grossi of The Land on Demand. Pickett is in a competition with Flacco and rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders for the starting job in Cleveland, but this injury threatens to set him back. In five games (one start) for the Philadelphia Eagles last season, Pickett completed 59.5% of his passes for 291 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. A former first-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, Pickett may be getting his last chance to prove himself as a starter with Cleveland. He'll need a quick recovery to beat out Flacco for the job heading into the regular season.