Who Should I Start? Michael Gallup or Ja'Lynn Polk

Thursday, March 20, 1:39 PM

The Washington Commanders announced on Thursday that they signed free-agent wide receiver Michael Gallup to an undisclosed deal. Gallup was drafted in the third round (81st overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 out of Colorado State and spent the first six years of his NFL career in Dallas before signing last offseason with the Las Vegas Raiders. The 29-year-old announced his retirement before ever playing in a game with Vegas before deciding he wanted to come back in 2025. He'll now return to the NFC East, where he'll serve as receiving depth behind Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel Sr. and Noah Brown, at the very least. It's a poor landing spot for Gallup potentially returning to fantasy relevance, as he'll also be competing with Luke McCaffrey and K.J. Osborn for playing time. Fantasy managers can probably avoid Gallup in drafts this fall.

Friday, January 3, 6:55 PM

New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk (shoulder) did not practice at all this week and has been ruled out for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, fellow wideout Kayshon Boutte (illness) was cleared to play. The 22-year-old Polk will finish off what has been a bad rookie season early due to a shoulder injury. The second-round selection just never had much of a chance to excel in 2024 in a bad offense with rookie quarterback Drake Maye struggling to find his footing with limited weapons around him. Polk will finish his first year in the NFL with only 12 catches on 33 targets for 87 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games (seven starts). The Patriots will surely look to bring in upgraded receiving options this offseason, giving Polk and others even more competition.