Who Should I Start? Marquise Brown or Darius Slayton

Wednesday, February 25, 9:01 AM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown opened the 2025 season with a bang, hauling in 10 catches for 99 yards on 16 targets in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the 28-year-old was not able to maintain his hot start and saw his role in the Chiefs' offense gradually fade over the course of the season. Across 16 games overall, Brown recorded 49 receptions for 587 yards and five touchdowns on 74 targets. Heading into his age-29 season, Brown is now set to hit unrestricted free agency. Chiefs WR1 Rashee Rice is currently being sued by the mother of his children for alleged physical abuse and is being investigated by the NFL for violations of the league's personal conduct policy. As a result, there could be an opening for playing time in Kansas City if the team chooses to bring Brown back on a new contract. Still, Brown's production has been on a gradual decline since his banner 2021 season, when he recorded 1,008 yards and six touchdown catches as a member of the Baltimore Ravens. His fantasy outlook is likely trending in the wrong direction heading into 2026, regardless of where he signs in free agency.

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.