Who Should I Start? Michael Gallup or Darius Slayton

Monday, August 25, 6:18 PM

The Washington Commanders released wide receiver Michael Gallup on Monday, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Gallup was unable to make Washington's 53-man roster heading into the regular season in his comeback bid after retiring in 2024 shortly after signing with the Las Vegas Raiders. The 29-year-old veteran could return to the Commanders on their practice squad, but if he signs with another team for the regular season, he will merely be competing for a spot on the active game-day roster and won't be on the fantasy radar at all. The former third-rounder (81st overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 out of Colorado State caught 34 of 57 targets for 418 yards and only two touchdowns in 17 games (13 starts) in 2023 in his final year in Dallas. Gallup's best season came in Year 2, when he put up a 66-1,107-6 line on 113 targets in 14 games (12 starts).

Sunday, January 4, 9:35 AM

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton is expected to handle increased volume with Wan'Dale Robinson (ribs) and Theo Johnson (illness) both sidelined against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18. Robinson is headed for his first absence of the season, and Johnson has only been inactive one other time. Therefore, we haven't yet seen what Slayton can do as Jaxson Dart's No. 1 target. However, we have seen glimpses of his upside. He caught a touchdown pass in Week 13, handled 10 targets in Week 15, and has played at least 87% of the snaps in two of his last three games. The bigger role comes at a perfect time for Slayton and his managers, as the Cowboys have surrendered the league's most yards, touchdowns, and fantasy points to wide receivers this season. Managers should feel comfortable deploying Slayton as a strong WR2 option in fantasy football as he handles a bigger workload and gets a very enticing matchup.