Who Should I Start? Olamide Zaccheaus or Casey Washington

Friday, September 12, 11:19 PM

Chicago Bears wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus made an immediate impact in his debut under head coach Ben Johnson. He caught four of seven targets for 42 yards in the Week 1 loss to Minnesota, operating as Chicago's clear WR3. Zaccheaus played 44% of the snaps and ran a route on 59% of dropbacks, both behind only Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore. Notably, he was on the field for 87% of the snaps in one-tight end sets, cementing his defined role in the offense. Week 2 brings an appealing matchup with the Lions, who allowed the most receiving yards to wideouts in 2024. Former Bear receiver Keenan Allen shredded Detroit twice last season, averaging 23.2 half-PPR points per game against them. While Zaccheaus has a chance to stay involved, his role still caps his upside. He's a deep-league flex consideration but should remain out of lineups in most fantasy formats.

Saturday, September 13, 10:09 PM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Casey Washington (concussion) did not pass the league's concussion protocol and will be inactive on Sunday against the Vikings. The 24-year-old had his best game in the NFL last week, hauling in three of his six targets for 33 yards, but suffered a concussion during the fourth quarter of the contest. The University of Illinois product's six targets were fourth-most on the team and more than veteran Ray-Ray McCloud III's five targets, potentially signaling a changing of the guard for the third wide receiver spot in the Atlanta offense, but it was likely more a product of Darnell Mooney's absence in Week 1 than anything else. With Mooney expected to play in Week 2 but with Washington out, we'll have to see how things shake out in Week 3 in order to get a better feel for Washington's role in this offense. For now, Washington can be left to the waiver wire in fantasy leagues.