Who Should I Start? Ray-Ray McCloud III or Matthew Golden

Saturday, September 13, 11:26 AM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III garnered five targets in Week 1, turning them into three receptions for 51 yards with a long of 24 yards. That's about as good as one could hope for from the veteran receiver, and although the team gets Darnell Mooney (shoulder) back in the mix this week, Casey Washington (concussion) will be out with a concussion, and Washington drew six targets in Week 1. It likely means about the same should be expected of McCloud in Week 2 on the road against the Vikings, but with his targets typically of the short variety and not usually a threat to score (one touchdown in '24 on 62 receptions), the 28-year-old is relegated to the WR5 range or a low-end Flex option in PPR leagues.

Tuesday, September 16, 12:23 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden came into the 2025 season with a lot of hype, being the first wide receiver drafted by the team in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002. Through two games, Golden hasn't done much to satisfy the hype of fantasy managers, with just two receptions for 16 yards combined in his first two NFL games. That said, Golden has been the recipient of several deep throws from quarterback Jordan Love that have just missed being huge plays. We'd be talking about Golden much favorably if those plays had gone the other way. Still, fantasy managers won't get points for almost scoring or almost catching the ball. One good sign for Golden is that his routes per dropback have risen from 57 percent in Week 1 to 68 percent in Week 2, so the Packers are getting him on the field a bit more. In Week 3, the Packers head east to play the Cleveland Browns, where Golden could get on track to deliver some fantasy value. However, until we see it, he's got to be left on fantasy benches in the majority of fantasy formats.