Who Should I Start? Justin Watson or Xavier Smith

Friday, January 16, 4:23 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Justin Watson (concussion) didn't practice all week and has officially been ruled out for Sunday's Divisional Round game against the New England Patriots. Watson suffered a concussion in Monday night's Wild-Card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. If the Texans advance to the AFC Championship next weekend, Watson won't be guaranteed to be ready to return. In addition to Watson being out, the Texans will also be without top receiver Nico Collins, who also suffered a concussion on Monday against the Steelers. Rookie Jayden Higgins and Christian Kirk, who had 144 receiving yards on Monday, should be the team's top two receivers, with rookie Jaylin Noel and Xavier Hutchinson also having elevated roles on offense.

Saturday, August 16, 11:52 PM

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Xavier Smith caught all four of his targets for 48 receiving yards during Saturday's preseason victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. He also rushed for five yards. Smith has been quite productive this summer. He paced the team with 55 receiving yards last week, and he now has a total of eight touches and 108 scrimmage yards through two preseason contests. NFL opportunities have been few and far between for the 27-year-old Florida A&M product, but he did total six receiving yards, 36 rushing yards, and a pair of first downs in 2024. Los Angeles' first four wide receiver spots are essentially locked up, which means they only have two or three spots to divide over seven remaining receivers (Smith, Tru Edwards, Mario Williams, Konata Mumpfield, Drake Stoops, Britain Covey, and Brennan Presley).