Who Should I Start? Malachi Fields or Zachariah Branch
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 15.8 | 0.1 |
Malachi Fields News
Thursday, August 20, 6:59 PM
New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields impressed in Thursday's joint practice session with the Miami Dolphins and "continues to put together his case for the (team's) No. 2 receiver role," per Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic. The 74th overall pick in this past April's draft, Fields recorded 36 catches for 630 yards and five touchdowns across 12 games at Notre Dame in 2025. Once healthy, New York has a clear WR1 in star wideout Malik Nabers (knee). However, Nabers' status for Week 1 remains uncertain as he works his way back from the serious knee injury that ended his 2025 campaign. Outside of Nabers, Fields' competition for targets and playing time in New York is an uninspiring group of veterans that includes Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III, Darius Slayton, Braxton Berrios, and Odell Beckham Jr. If the rookie can continue to impress throughout the remainder of the preseason, he could be in line for a significant role in the Giants' offense right away. Fantasy managers may want to consider targeting Fields as a late-round sleeper entering 2026.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 20.7 | 0.1 |
Zachariah Branch News
Tuesday, August 18, 7:33 PM
Atlanta Falcons rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch is currently in a reserve role and is not expected to carry a heavy workload early in the season. In the Falcons' preseason loss to the Denver Broncos, Branch caught two of four targets for six yards and added three rushing yards on his lone carry. The third-round pick saw just one of eight first-team snaps against the Broncos, with Drake London (2), Jahan Dotson (8), Olamide Zaccheaus (6), and Chris Blair (5) all playing more snaps with Tua Tagovailoa. While Branch has been amid hype this training camp, his role with the first-team offense was very limited in their first game action. His best chance to contribute will be to pass Zaccheaus and handle the slot workload while London and Dotson work the outside. Otherwise, fantasy managers should pivot to better options with higher opportunity than Branch.
Malachi Fields vs. Zachariah Branch
Still trying to decide between Fields and Branch? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Malachi Fields is projected to score 3.5 points this week while Zachariah Branch is projected to score 4.4 points.
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