Who Should I Start? Robert Woods or Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Friday, February 23, 2:21 PM

The Houston Texans will have an estimated $65.4 million in salary cap space in 2024, so they are in good shape. But if they are going to cut someone to gain even more cap space this offseason, The Athletic's Mike Jones speculates it could be veteran wide receiver Robert Woods. While Woods has been regarded as a reliable veteran, his production has declined in recent years, and he's set to count $9.75 million against the cap. He had only 40 catches for 426 yards and a touchdown in 14 games in 2023, and the emergence of young receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell could cause the soon-to-be 32-year-old to be expendable. If he's cut, Woods would come with a $4.75 million dead-cap hit. Even after Dell suffered a season-ending injury last year, Woods found it difficult to stand out for the Texans and fantasy managers.

Wednesday, February 28, 10:44 AM

The Kansas City Chiefs are releasing wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling ahead of free agency in a cap-saving move. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the team saves $12 million on the cap. The veteran speedster spent two seasons with the Chiefs, totaling 63 receptions for 1,002 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 33 games. He wasn't overly productive, but he did catch two touchdowns in the 2022 playoffs and caught a touchdown in the victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. Valdes-Scantling is unlikely to sign a big-money deal this offseason, but his field-stretching skill set will be attractive to a few teams.