Who Should I Start? Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Joshua Palmer

Thursday, December 25, 3:52 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling is slated to operate as, at worst, the No. 2 option in the team's aerial assault for the remainder of the season. Valdes-Scantling was signed to Pittsburgh's practice squad at the beginning of November, although he hadn't earned a snap until their Week 14 win over the Ravens. Since then, the 31-year-old has pulled in just 2-of-5 targets for 25 yards and a touchdown. However, the veteran is poised for a significant uptick in playing time following teammate DK Metcalf's suspension stemming from an altercation with a fan. Valdes-Scantling doesn't project to see a ton of volume, but he should see some valuable downfield targets. In fact, he just missed hauling in a long TD in Week 16's victory against the Lions. With fellow wideout Calvin Austin III (hamstring) also in danger of missing this Sunday's outing, Valdes-Scantling projects to operate behind Adam Thielen as the team's top two pass-catchers when they square off with the Cleveland Browns.

Saturday, December 20, 10:48 AM

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer returned in Week 15, catching just one pass for 16 yards against the New England Patriots. Palmer has been fighting through an ankle sprain that caused him to miss the previous two games. He was limited last week, playing only 33% of snaps, which ranked fifth among Bills receivers, behind Khalil Shakir, Tyrell Shavers, Brandin Cooks, and Keon Coleman. He also faces the strong Cleveland Browns secondary, which has allowed the second-fewest receiving yards to wide receivers this season. It will be intriguing to see whether Palmer's role increases this week, but fantasy managers should pivot in Week 16.