Who Should I Start? Kalif Raymond or Xavier Hutchinson

Saturday, January 4, 4:23 PM

The Detroit Lions activated wide receiver Kalif Raymond (foot) and linebacker Alex Anzalone (forearm) from injured reserve on Saturday. Raymond had been sidelined ever since Week 12, and he's expected to remain behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Tim Patrick in the pecking order upon his return this weekend. He caught just 16 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns through the 11 games for which he was healthy this season, and he remains off the fantasy radar in all leagues. Meanwhile, Anzalone is back from a six-week absence. He contributed 56 tackles and one sack when healthy, and his return provides a major boost to a Lions defense that has been decimated by injuries in 2024.

Thursday, August 28, 7:44 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson has looked like the team's No. 3 in camp behind Nico Collins and Christian Kirk, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle observes. Alexander pegs rookie second-round pick Jayden Higgins at No. 4 and rookie third-rounder Jaylin Noel fifth in the pecking order. Hutchinson - who, like Higgins and Noel, went to Iowa State - was a sixth-round selection in 2023. The 25-year-old caught just 20 passes for 207 yards and no touchdowns over 32 games in his first two seasons. Despite that, Alexander reports that Hutchinson worked hard in the offseason to get better and has "quickly become one of C.J. Stroud's go-to targets and looks much improved from a season ago." That doesn't mean it'll translate during the regular season, but for now, it seems possible that Higgins and Noel could take a backseat to Hutchinson to begin the campaign.