Who Should I Start? Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Darius Slayton

Tuesday, December 30, 6:11 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling figures to be heavily targeted again in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday night against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens, with DK Metcalf suspended one more game. In Sunday's upset loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 17, Valdes-Scantling drew a season-high nine targets, hauling in three of them for a mediocre 21 receiving yards. The 31-year-old veteran pass-catcher has only five catches on 14 targets for 46 yards and one touchdown in his four games since joining Pittsburgh. MVS hasn't really been on the same page as quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and his target share could be affected if Calvin Austin III (hamstring) returns in a must-win Week 18 contest that will decide the winner of the AFC North. At best, Valdes-Scantling will be a deep-league dart throw as a WR5/flex versus Baltimore this weekend.

Thursday, February 12, 7:34 AM

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton has shown flashes of upside plenty of times throughout his career, but he continues to struggle to emerge as a consistent fantasy threat week over week. Part of the difficulty for Slayton has been quarterback play, but that changed in 2025 when rookie Jaxson Dart took the reins of the offense. However, the other part of the problem has been Slayton's role on the depth chart, and the outlook there remains bleak. We did temporarily jump to second on the depth chart behind Wan'Dale Robinson after Malik Nabers (knee) tore his ACL -- resulting in 37 catches, 538 yards, and a touchdown -- he'll drop back to third if Nabers is healthy for the start of 2026. Plus, tight end Theo Johnson will continue to command plenty of targets, and the same can be said about running back Cam Skattebo (ankle). If there's any glimmer of hope for Slayton, it's the fact that Robinson is an impending free agent. However, the Giants have been very outspoken about their plans to bring Robinson back. It seems likely that Slayton will remain the Giants' No. 3 receiver in 2026, leaving his value to hinge on a teammate's injury. He's not worth drafting in typical redraft leagues, and he can be stashed on the bench only in deeper dynasty formats.