Who Should I Start? Justin Jefferson or Jauan Jennings

Tuesday, October 7, 2:11 PM

The Minnesota Vikings are on a bye in Week 6, but their return to the field could have fantasy implications for wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) has not played since Week 2, but the team is targeting Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles as his projected return. Jefferson drew 6.5 targets in two games with McCarthy compared to 9.7 with backup Carson Wentz, though Minnesota has been much more intentional about getting their star wideout the ball in the past two weeks, throwing his way a robust 22 times. Despite Minnesota facing tons of injury issues on the offensive line and both opponents surely game-planning for Jefferson to be heavily featured, he still put up 100-yard efforts in both games. Among fantasy receivers, Jefferson is about as QB-proof as there is, but McCarthy's return still will be a variable worth monitoring.

Sunday, October 12, 7:54 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (ribs, ankle) told ESPN's Nick Wagoner that he is currently playing through five broken ribs, as well as high-ankle and low-ankle sprains. Jennings missed Week 5 due to injury but was able to get on the field in Week 6, albeit with limited results. He saw just three targets in the Niners' loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday, catching one pass for seven yards. 49ers fans and fantasy managers will appreciate Jennings' ability to play through injury, but if he can't produce much, it's fair to question whether he would be better off focusing on his recovery and returning to the field when he's back to 100 percent. It will be important to monitor his practice status when the 49ers publish their injury reports from Wednesday through Friday. San Francisco returns to action next Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons. A healthy Jennings is a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3/flex. However, his ranking would drop a little if he's less than 100 percent.