Who Should I Start? Kayshon Boutte or Jalen Coker

Monday, January 26, 4:36 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, along with the rest of the offense, struggled to do much in poor conditions during a snowstorm in the 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday in the AFC Championship. Boutte was tied with receiver Stefon Diggs for the team lead in targets (six), but he hauled in just one of them for six yards. Mack Hollins, who came off Injured Reserve last week, led the Patriots with 51 receiving yards on only two catches. Quarterback Drake Maye went 10-for-21 passing for only 86 yards, with neither team really able to move the ball much in the second half after snow started to fall heavily. In the first two playoff games, the 23-year-old Boutte caught seven of his nine targets for 141 yards and a touchdown in wins over the Chargers and Texans. He was a disappointment against Denver, but he should be able to bounce back nicely in the Super Bowl in two weeks versus the Seahawks.

Friday, January 30, 12:43 PM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that wide receiver Jalen Coker will enter the offseason as the team's No. 2 wideout behind 2025 first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan, according to David Newton of ESPN. Newton also writes that the Panthers' top offseason priority is locking Coker down long term. He's an exclusive-rights free agent, so the team could tender him an offer for the league minimum to ensure that he's around in 2026 at a low cost. The 24-year-old came on strong late in 2025 and had nine catches for 134 yards and one touchdown in the Wild-Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. If the Panthers truly believe in Coker, they could look to lock him up long-term at a reasonable price. Injuries have limited Coker to 22 regular-season games in his first two years in the NFL, but when on the field, he's been productive, catching 65 passes for 872 yards and five touchdowns on 89 targets. If he can finally stay healthy in Year 3, Coker has true breakout potential.