Who Should I Start? Michael Pittman Jr. or Xavier Worthy

Friday, December 20, 10:52 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was a full participant in practice on Friday. The 27-year-old did not practice on Wednesday, but was back to a full participant the following two sessions to close out the week. The 6-foot-4 wideout has dealt with back issues seemingly all season long, but it has cost him just one week of playing time. The former second-round draft pick has been Anthony Richardson's preferred target in the passing game over the last four weeks since being reinstated as the starting QB, averaging over five catches per contest, albeit for just 60 yards per game. The fifth-year pro hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 6, which happened to be against his Week 16 opponent, the Tennessee Titans. Although he found paydirt in that first meeting, he did so on just three catches for 35 yards. With the Titans allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers and with Richardson completing less than 50% of his passes on the season, expectations for Sunday's divisional showdown should be tempered. While the Colts are 3.5-point favorites in this one, there is a low expected total of 42.5 and Pittman Jr. projects as a WR4 this week, so hopefully fantasy managers have other options.

Saturday, December 21, 2:55 PM

According to Matt McMullen of the Chiefs, rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy (ankle) has returned to the field at the start of the second half. This is a great sign as former first-round selection had a brief injury scare earlier in this game as he sustained an ankle injury while running a route. This injury was non-contact. Before exiting for a brief period, Worthy brought in four of his five targets for 26 yards. Fantasy managers should expect Worthy to continue to operate as a starting wideout for the remainder of the game alongside Marquise Brown and DeAndre Hopkins.