Who Should I Start? Richie James or Daurice Fountain

Monday, January 8, 2:25 AM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Richie James caught each of his two targets for 15 yards as the team managed a narrow 13-12 road victory in Sunday's regular-season finale. With top wideout Rashee Rice getting Week 18 off, James stepped in as a fixture in three-receiver sets for the Chiefs. On a day where quarterback Blaine Gabbert only passed for 154 yards, however, James was unable to get much very going. The offense ran through La'Mical Perine on the ground and Mecole Hardman Jr. through the air, with the latter getting peppered with 11 targets in the win. James cracked 100 yards for the campaign in this one, but it was a disappointing outcome for those who took a shot in the dark on him in DFS tournaments. The 28-year-old veteran will not be a big component of the passing game when K.C. kicks off the postseason with a Wild Card battle against the Miami Dolphins on Saturday.

Thursday, August 1, 9:37 AM

Detroit Lions wide receiver Daurice Fountain has played in just eight games since entering the NFL in 2018 as a fifth-round pick out of North Iowa. He has just two receptions for 23 yards on his resume. However, the 28-year-old got first-team reps last week while third-year wideout Jameson Williams was out of action, and he made the most of his opportunities. "Fountain was one of the standouts of June's minicamp and the lanky wideout has kept the momentum into July," Jeff Risdon of the Lions Wire wrote. "When Jameson Williams wasn't practicing on Friday, Fountain stepped into some of Jamo's first-team reps and played well. His blocking and attention to detail on his routes both received audible praise from WR coach Antwan Randle El." Risdon noted that Fountain didn't have a great day on the first day of pads, but this is still noteworthy considering Fountain is largely unknown. While it would be a surprise if he's on the fantasy football radar in 2024, the team is thin at wide receiver behind superstar Amon-Ra St. Brown and the unproven Williams. He's not worth drafting in leagues of all shapes and sizes right now, but he is worth monitoring as training camp progresses.