Who Should I Start? Stefon Diggs or Ricky Pearsall

Wednesday, September 3, 7:31 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (knee), who is coming off a torn ACL suffered last year with the Houston Texans, is not listed on the team's initial injury report on Wednesday, confirming that he's on track to play in Week 1 on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Head coach Mike Vrabel also said on Tuesday that Diggs will "be out there" this weekend. It's great news for the Patriots offense and quarterback Drake Maye, who is heading into his first year as the full-time starter. Not only could the 31-year-old Diggs not be the same player coming off a torn ACL, but the Patriots' offense could have early-season growing pains with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels returning. The good news is he should operate as the WR1, but fantasy managers may want to temper expectations and treat him as a WR3/flex in Week 1.

Thursday, September 4, 12:15 PM

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the San Francisco 49ers believe wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is "poised for a Year 2 Jump." The former first-round pick dealt with a myriad of issues during his rookie campaign, but is slated to handle a large workload in 2025 with the 49ers' wide receiving corps in shambles. Fellow wideout Jauan Jennings' recent return somewhat throws a wrench in that, at least for the time being. Still, it's unclear if Jennings will require ramp-up time as he's dealt with a calf injury for the majority of the summer. Pearsall and quarterback Brock Purdy have spent time this offseason developing chemistry, and San Francisco's passing offense has been excellent with him at the helm. If Jennings is slow to find his groove, the Florida State product could be in for a tremendous season.