Who Should I Start? River Cracraft or Allen Lazard

Monday, August 19, 1:02 PM

Dolphins wide receiver River Cracraft (upper-body) is sidelined with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss some time in the regular season. Cracraft had a strong summer in his third season with Miami and seemed likely to start as the third receiver behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, especially with Odell Beckham Jr. (undisclosed) still on the PUP list. However, Cracraft's injury raises the possibility that he could be placed on injured reserve when the Dolphins finalize their 53-man roster. By August 27, the Dolphins will have three options for handling Cracraft: keep him on the 53-man roster until he recovers, initially include him on the roster and then place him on IR on August 28, or put him on IR immediately, which would count as one of the two IR moves allowed on cutdown day under new NFL rules. This situation simplifies the roster decisions and opens up a spot for Erik Ezukanma, who had an impressive preseason debut against Washington. If the Dolphins keep six wide receivers, Ezukanma could join Hill, Waddle, Beckham, Braxton Berrios, and rookie Malik Washington, who will secure a spot on the roster. With these receiver injuries, Hill and Waddle will likely see even more targets, boosting Hill's value as the top overall pick in redraft leagues.

Tuesday, October 29, 6:54 PM

New York Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard (chest) did not practice on Tuesday. Lazard was unable to suit up for the Jets' Week 8 game against the New England Patriots. He is trending towards missing a second straight week as the Jets will host the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football. Lazard had been pretty good in 2024 prior to his injury. He still sits as the WR17 despite missing Week 8. He has recorded 30 receptions for 412 yards and five touchdowns as one of quarterback Aaron Rodgers' (knee/hamstring) preferred targets. If Lazard were to miss another game, wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams would be in line to receive the lion's share of targets. Running back Breece Hall should mix in as well. The Texans have a quality defense and Lazard's absence would hurt the Jets' passing game as a whole because he would be one less weapon the Texans would have to focus on.