Who Should I Start? Kayshon Boutte or Ben Skowronek

Sunday, January 5, 8:27 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte caught all seven of his targets for 117 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills. Boutte finishes 2024 as New England's best receiver. Despite a slow start to the year, he finished his second season with 43 catches, 589 yards, and three touchdowns through 15 games. He has played at least two-thirds of the offensive snaps in each of his last 13 contests, developing into New England's No. 1 option in the passing game. His role atop the depth chart is far from assured heading into 2025, especially with a new coaching regime on the way. However, Boutte has shown that he deserves to be involved, even if that's merely as a deep threat on the perimeter. He continues to trend upward in dynasty leagues, and he should also sneak into the back end of fantasy drafts next summer.

Tuesday, December 31, 9:43 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Ben Skowronek (hip) was a limited participant in practice to open the week on Tuesday. It appears that Skowronek is headed in the right direction following his absence from last Wednesday's game due to a hip issue. There appears to be a good chance that Skowronek can get back on the field for Saturday's regular season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. Skowronek has mainly been playing on special teams, but did see his role as a receiver increase when George Pickens was sidelined. However, Skowronek is too far back on the depth chart to have viable fantasy value heading into Week 18.