Who Should I Start? Justin Jefferson or Trevor Lawrence

Friday, December 19, 4:30 PM

For fantasy managers still playing into the money weeks of the season, the decision to start or sit Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson against the New York Giants might come with a bit of heartburn. A prolonged slump has Jefferson in risky WR2 territory, which sounds baffling, given his past production. The former LSU Tiger has just six catches for 37 yards in the past three weeks, has not scored a touchdown since Week 9, hasn't eclipsed 80 yards since Week 5, and missed out on two touchdowns last week -- one called back because of a penalty and one he dropped. Overall, however, the Vikings and quarterback J.J. McCarthy have played significantly better during the past two weeks with back-to-back wins in which the offense scored more than 30 points. Additionally, the matchup is great, as the Giants have surrendered the fourth-most air yards and rank 30th against half-PPR receivers. Managers have surely been burned, but Jefferson still has an ever-present week-winning potential that figures to eventually make an appearance again.

Monday, December 15, 7:11 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is one of the hottest QBs in the league when it matters most for fantasy football managers. Lawrence took advantage of a great matchup against a bad New York Jets defense in Week 15 to go 20-for-32 passing for a season-high 330 yards and five passing touchdowns on Sunday. He added five carries for 51 yards on the ground and a sixth touchdown on the day. Since Week 12, Lawrence has thrown for 1,059 yards, 12 touchdowns, and three interceptions on 119 pass attempts while running for 121 yards and another TD on 17 attempts. In the last five weeks, he's been the QB6 in overall fantasy points as he finally starts to click in head coach Liam Coen's offense. The addition of receiver Jakobi Meyers at the trade deadline has also helped Lawrence. The 26-year-old has become a popular waiver-wire pickup over this stretch. However, he could quickly come back down to Earth with a poor Week 16 matchup on the road in Denver against a strong Broncos defense.