Who Should I Start? Russell Gage or Marquise Brown

Monday, March 11, 6:31 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Russell Gage (knee) is now a free agent. When the team reworked his deal last year, it included an option for the 2024 season, and the team has declined to pick it up. The move clears what would have been $10 million in salary, but the Bucs will take on roughly $6.9 million in dead money from old restructures. Gage signed a three-year, $30 million in free agency before the 2022 season to give quarterback Tom Brady another weapon in the passing game. He did have a career-high five touchdowns in 2022, but he also had a disappointing 51 catches for 426 yards and didn't play at all last year due to a torn patellar tendon that he suffered in training camp in August. The 28-year-old should resurface with another team, but coming off a major knee injury, it's unlikely that he'll be able to make much of a fantasy impact wherever he lands.

Saturday, April 20, 1:03 PM

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach acknowledged that new wide receiver Marquise Brown could have a lucrative role with the team in 2024. With Brown now on the roster, the Chiefs feel better about their situation at the receiver position prior to the draft than they would have otherwise. Brown's role could be even more important with Rashee Rice's uncertain future following his arrest on charges stemming from a car crash in March. As things stand right now, Rice, Brown and Justin Watson are the team's top three receivers, with Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney behind them. The 26-year-old Brown, the former 25th overall pick in 2019 by the Cardinals out of Oklahoma, had two disappointing seasons in the desert in which he played in just 26 games due to injuries. But if he can stay healthy in 2024 and Rice faces a suspension, he could be a real value pick in fantasy drafts.