Who Should I Start? KaVontae Turpin or Jalen Royals

Monday, December 29, 11:55 PM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver/kick returner KaVontae Turpin caught just one pass in last Thursday's Christmas Day win over the Washington Commanders, but it was a big one in the 30-23 victory in D.C. Turpin's one catch was an 86-yard touchdown hookup with quarterback Dak Prescott in the second quarter. The 29-year-old speedy receiver also returned five kickoffs on the day for 115 yards. The one catch for Turpin was a season-low, but his 86 receiving yards were a season-high in Week 17. Turpin now has 26 receptions on the year for 396 yards and two touchdowns on 37 targets in 14 games in his fourth year in the NFL. The former undrafted free agent has only two games in 2025 with more than two receptions, though, so fantasy managers still playing for a championship in Week 18 should consider Turpin a major liability in starting lineups in Sunday's divisional rematch against the New York Giants. Ironically, Turpin's first TD of the year came against the G-Men back on Sept. 14.

Wednesday, October 8, 11:09 AM

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals missed the first two games of the 2025 season with a knee injury. He's been active in each of the team's last three games, but Royals has not yet been targeted by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The 22-year-old appears buried on Kansas City's wide receiver depth chart behind Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, Tyquan Thornton, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Royals could fall down the depth chart even further in Week 7 when top Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice is eligible to return from suspension. Royals maintains some appeal in dynasty leagues, but he should remain off the radar of redraft fantasy managers for the time being.