Who Should I Start? Russell Gage or Terry McLaurin

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.

Sunday, January 7, 8:31 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin caught six of eight targets for 56 yards during Sunday's loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Another year, another what-if season for McLaurin. Although the fifth-year receiver had his fourth-straight 1,000-yard season, middling quarterback play still held him back for most of the year. Nothing exemplified this more than quarterback Sam Howell underthrowing a wide-open McLaurin for what would've been a 51-yard touchdown on Washington's first possession of Week 18. There is light at the end of the tunnel for this offense, as the Commanders are locked into the second pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. If the team selects one of the blue-chip quarterback prospects, McLaurin's fortunes could finally take a turn for the better next season.