Who Should I Start? Mack Hollins or Xavier Hutchinson

Wednesday, October 29, 1:42 AM

New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins has started to emerge as a potential fantasy football option after an impressive outing against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8. On Sunday, Hollins caught all seven of his targets for 89 yards while handling a season-high 72 percent snap share. He now has 138 yards over his last two games. The veteran receiver has officially supplanted DeMario Douglas as the team's new No. 3 receiver behind Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte. However, if you're purely talking about workload, Hollins is actually the No. 2, because he has registered more snaps than Diggs in each of the last two games, as well as three of the last four. This doesn't mean managers should rush to add Hollins over Diggs, and the size of your league should dictate whether you try to add Hollins off waivers at all. He's certainly worth picking up for the back end of rosters in leagues with at least 14 teams, as his snap share, target share, and productivity have been very promising. He has a solid track record, too. Hollins led the Bills in receiving touchdowns last year, scoring more than players like Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Dalton Kincaid. In essence, managers should feel confident that Hollins' big week isn't necessarily a fluke, and that he'll continue to compete for more playing time going forward. He's a fringe top-50 fantasy receiver as he takes on Atlanta in Week 9.

Monday, October 27, 12:23 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson caught five of his six targets for a team-high 69 yards and a touchdown in the 26-15 win over the visiting San Francisco 49ers in Week 8 on Sunday, with both Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) sidelined by injuries. Hutchinson was tied for second on the team in targets and also tied for the team lead with his five receptions in a Houston offense that has suddenly become pass-happy in recent weeks. The 25-year-old's touchdown catch was a 30-yard connection with quarterback C.J. Stroud. Although Hutchinson is worth a look as a short-term WR replacement after his strong Week 8 performance, his role is likely to shrink again once one of Collins or Kirk returns, and the Texans have a shy-away matchup next week at home against the Denver Broncos. If you're going to pluck Hutchinson off the waiver wire this week, we wouldn't recommend spending much on him.