Who Should I Start? Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Elijah Moore

Wednesday, August 27, 12:37 PM

The San Francisco 49ers are signing veteran free-agent wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to an undisclosed deal on Wednesday, a source tells Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Valdes-Scantling was unable to make the Seattle Seahawks' final 53-man roster heading into the regular season, but he'll remain in the NFC West division and join a 49ers team with a banged-up receiver room. MVS was choosing betwen the 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers. The 30-year-old still shouldn't be drafted in 12-team fantasy leagues, but he should have a better shot at playing time early in 2025 in the Bay Area. Brandon Aiyuk (knee) will miss at least the first four games (and possibly more), while Jauan Jennings (calf) is also up in the air for Week 1 against Seattle. MVS has never had more than 42 catches, 690 yards or six touchdowns in a single season, though, and most likely will just give San Fran an extra body for receiver depth.

Saturday, August 23, 11:58 PM

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Elijah Moore earned four targets from quarterback Shane Buechele in a 23-19 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, but he was unable to do much with them. While Moore did haul in three passes, he totaled just eight yards and will wrap up his preseason with four catches (eight targets) for 13 yards. The former New York Jet and Cleveland Brown joined the Bills on a one-year deal in free agency and is expected to earn a roster spot, but he isn't necessarily a stone-cold lock. Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Joshua Palmer are the only Buffalo receivers who are guaranteed to make the team, leaving Moore grouped with several others (Curtis Samuel, Tyrell Shavers, Kristian Wilkerson, Laviska Shenault Jr., and KJ Hamler among them) fighting for two or three jobs. Except for Samuel (illness), who's also reportedly on the bubble and didn't play Saturday because of an illness, Moore has a more proven track record than the rest of the WRs competing for roles. That could help give him the edge in the competition.