Who Should I Start? Ricky Pearsall or Matthew Golden

Tuesday, June 10, 9:22 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) was healthy to take part in mandatory minicamp this week, but the team is being careful with him and want him to be ready for training camp in late July. It makes sense for the Niners to play it safe with the former first-rounder since fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk (knee) likely won't be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season. If the 24-year-old can return in training camp and develop chemistry with quarterback Brock Purdy, he'll have plenty of opportunity as a starter in three-wide sets in his sophomore season in the NFL. Pearsall missed the first six games of his rookie season after being shot in the chest, but he was more involved late in the year with Aiyuk out. If healthy, he should make much more noise in 2025. RotoBaller has Pearsall ranked as the No. 45 fantasy wideout.

Friday, June 27, 12:18 PM

ESPN's Rob Demovsky writes that Green Bay Packers rookie first-round wide receiver Matthew Golden appears set for a significant role on offense with the likes of Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks with Christian Watson (knee) still rehabbing from ACL surgery. Golden might not be an immediate starter, but he got plenty of run with the starters during offseason workouts and caught quarterback Jordan Love's eye quickly. "I think from the get-go, from Day 1 when he got here, he's showcased kind of just the versatility he has running routes, the speed he has and his ability to catch," Love said. The 21-year-old is a burner who caught 58 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns at Texas in 2024. It remains to be seen if he'll see enough targets to be in contention for a weekly fantasy lineup spot, but his overall upside as a potential deep threat with Watson sidelined is enough to make him an attractive late-round flier in redraft leagues.