Who Should I Start? Tavon Austin or Tyler Lockett

Tuesday, August 13, 8:09 PM

Wide receiver Tavon Austin officially announced his retirement from the NFL on social media on Tuesday. Austin was originally drafted by the St. Louis Rams with the eighth overall pick in 2013 out of West Virginia. He spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Rams before playing for the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars. The 34-year-old hadn't appeared in an NFL game since 2021 with the Jags, when he caught 24 of his 37 targets for 213 yards and one touchdown in 13 games (three starts). The nine-year NFL veteran finished his career with a total of 244 catches on 407 targets for 2,239 yards and 16 touchdowns in 113 games (53 starts). Austin's two best seasons were in 2015 and 2016 with the Rams, when he combined for 982 yards and eight touchdowns.

Saturday, September 6, 9:16 AM

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tyler Lockett will make his team debut in Week 1, facing off against the Denver Broncos. After a long and effective tenure in Seattle, Lockett is now a Titan and will catch passes from rookie quarterback Cameron Ward. The veteran receiver could benefit from this week's matchup. Although Denver has a very strong defense anchored by elite cornerback Patrick Surtain II, Ward could look to funnel passes to Lockett if Ridley is routinely smothered by Surtain on the perimeter. Lockett has developed into a short- to medium-yardage option and can benefit Ward as he gets open to provide an outlet for the young quarterback. Lockett might not crack 50 yards and a touchdown, but he should see at least a handful of targets with the potential to be a low-end starter in deep PPR formats.