Who Should I Start? Rashid Shaheed or Jalen Coker

Wednesday, July 30, 11:10 AM

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed is playing through physical coverage in training camp practices so far, according to Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports. Nowak notes that this has been a clear area of improvement for the fourth-year receiver since he entered the league in 2022. Once known exclusively as a downfield deep-ball threat, Shaheed was showing signs of becoming a more complete receiver in 2024 before tearing his meniscus in Week 6 and missing the remainder of the season. In the six games he played, Shaheed caught 20 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns, averaging an impressive 2.25 yards-per-route-run. The Saints' question marks at quarterback hold down his fantasy value, but Shaheed is an intriguing late-round dart throw who could be on the verge of a breakout in his age-27 season.

Saturday, August 30, 12:11 PM

The Carolina Panthers have placed wide receiver Jalen Coker (quad) on injured reserve, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 23-year-old was in line for a larger role in the team's offense after Carolina traded away veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen, but Coker will now miss at least the first four games of the season. After going undrafted in 2024, Coker recorded 32 catches for 478 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games last season as a rookie. The Panthers will now likely be turning to veteran wide receivers Hunter Renfrow and David Moore to replace Coker's production. Coker should no longer be a late-round target in fantasy drafts, but he's a name to remember as a mid-season waiver-wire addition, depending on the severity of this quad injury.