Who Should I Start? Justin Jefferson or DeVonta Smith

Sunday, December 7, 4:59 PM

The Minnesota Vikings scored a thorough 31-0 victory against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, but star wide receiver Justin Jefferson finished the day with only two catches on four targets for 11 yards. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, Jefferson was hampered by something completely unexpected this week: The Vikings were ahead by so much that the team leaned on the running attack and took Jefferson out of the game in the fourth quarter. Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw no interceptions and tossed three touchdown passes, but all three were to tight ends. It was yet another letdown for fantasy managers who roster Jefferson, though Sunday certainly gave some hope that Minnesota's offense can actually move the ball again. The superstar receiver will put managers in a bind next week, as he'll take a continued slump into a great matchup against a struggling Dallas defense.

Friday, December 5, 10:18 PM

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith failed to impress last week against the Bears, finishing with a mediocre five catches for 48 yards on eight targets. He and A.J. Brown both racked up a hefty majority of looks from Jalen Hurts, but while Brown turned those into a dominant showing, Smith fell behind on the stat sheet. Another problem is that Smith has now matched his longest scoreless streak of the season, going three straight games without finding the end zone. In Week 14 he's up against a Chargers defense allowing just 168.3 passing yards per game-good for second-best in the league. Philly already totes a lackluster passing game-averaging 196.3 yards per game-so there may not be enough to go around for Smith and Brown, not to mention the other weapons on the Eagles offense. It's a scary week to rely on him, so Smith should hover around a low-end WR2/FLEX spot versus Los Angeles.