Who Should I Start? Mike Evans or Justin Jefferson

Sunday, December 21, 9:30 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans hauled in five catches for 31 yards and a touchdown on nine targets in his team's Week 16 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Evans has now hauled in 11 receptions for 163 yards across two games since returning from a collarbone injury that sidelined him from Week 8 through Week 14. While injuries have held down the 32-year-old's season-long numbers in 2025, he remains an effective player when he's on the field. Across six games this season, Evans has recorded 25 catches for 303 yards and two touchdowns on 53 targets. He looks like the clear-cut number one option in the passing game for Tampa Bay down the stretch of the season, as Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has targeted Evans on 35% of his pass attempts for the last two weeks. Tampa Bay will travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins in Week 17.

Wednesday, December 24, 3:33 PM

For fantasy managers weighing whether to start Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson against the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day, the better question is how much they trust an offense led by an undrafted rookie quarterback. Vikings starter J.J. McCarthy (hand) will miss his seventh game of the season, and backup Carson Wentz (shoulder) is out for the year, leaving rookie Max Brosmer to take the reins. To say Brosmer's first start went poorly would be putting it mildly: he threw four interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and Jefferson finished with a paltry two catches for four yards. The superstar has routinely torched the Lions in his career, gaining more than 1,200 receiving yards and scoring five touchdowns in 11 games against them. Detroit ranks dead last in the NFL in air yards allowed, so the matchup is a good one for Jefferson, albeit with the significant risk of relying upon Brosmer. The offense likely will run through running back Aaron Jones Sr. and Jefferson, the latter of whom should be considered a high-risk WR2.