Who Should I Start? Malik Nabers or Ladd McConkey

Monday, January 5, 10:33 AM

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee) told reporters he is "not really sure" if he will be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season and that he had "a lot messed up" in his injured knee, per SNY's Connor Hughes. Nabers suffered a torn ACL and a torn meniscus in his right knee in late September, ending his 2025 season. However, swelling in the knee was severe enough that he did not undergo surgery until late October. Hughes reports that Nabers was spotted walking with the assistance of a cane on Sunday. When healthy, Nabers has been one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the NFL. Across 19 career games played, he's hauled in 127 receptions for 1,475 yards and nine touchdowns on 205 targets. It's not a great sign that the first few months of Nabers' recovery appear to be limited, but he still obviously has time to get healthy before 2026 training camp begins. Nabers' health will be a storyline for fantasy managers to closely monitor over the course of the offseason.

Sunday, January 11, 5:44 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey was an inconsistent contributor throughout the 2025 regular season, but he'll have an opportunity to get back on track by making a big impact against the New England Patriots in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs on Sunday evening. McConkey had 66 catches for 789 yards and six touchdowns through 16 regular-season games, with his lone absence coming in Week 18 as Los Angeles rested key starters. New England ranked near the middle of the league in terms of fantasy points allowed to wide receivers in 2025, but they did allow the seventh-most touchdowns to the position. The best fantasy performance of McConkey's career came against the Patriots in Week 17 of the 2024 season, as he caught eight passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns. New England's defense has gotten much stronger since then, but nonetheless, the second-year wideout will look to use today's game as an opportunity to get back on track.