Who Should I Start? Kalif Raymond or Kayshon Boutte

Wednesday, December 24, 10:32 PM

Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond had his best performance of the season in Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, recording four catches for 62 yards and a touchdown on five targets. Raymond could see an expanded role again in Week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings, as top Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown (knee) is questionable to play due to a knee injury. However, if St. Brown is active, there's reason to believe Raymond's performance in Week 16 is unlikely to be repeated. Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw 54 passes against Pittsburgh, 17 more than he attempted in his first matchup of the season against the Vikings in Week 9. Additionally, Minnesota has been a very tough matchup for opposing passing attacks. The Vikings enter the week ranked second in the NFL in total passing yards allowed (2,790) and tied for second in passing touchdowns allowed (14). Raymond has some upside as a deep-league flex option for fantasy managers if St. Brown is sidelined. If St. Brown is active, fantasy managers should likely avoid Raymond in Week 17.

Wednesday, January 7, 9:54 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte finished his third season with 33 catches (46 targets) for 551 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games. The 23-year-old wideout was one of the most explosive receivers in the league and had a dynamic downfield connection with quarterback Drake Maye, leading the league with 12.24 yards per target (minimum 40 targets). With how well-distributed New England's passing attack has been this season, Boutte's target volume hasn't been high enough for consistent fantasy production, with eight targets being his season high, which occurred back in Week 1. He projects as a boom-or-bust option in a tough matchup in Sunday's Wild-Card game against the Los Angeles Chargers, who allowed the ninth-fewest PPR points to receivers in the regular season.