Who Should I Start? Terry McLaurin or Justin Jefferson

Wednesday, September 10, 4:01 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was slow out of the gate in Week 1 against the Giants, catching two of his four targets for 27 yards. A slow start to the season could have been somewhat expected for McLaurin after limited practice time amidst his contract negotiations. The talk of a slow start could have been mitigated if he and Jayden Daniels were able to connect on a deep shot where McLaurin had his man beat badly on a double move. With the new acquisition, Deebo Samuel Sr. making his team debut, play caller Kliff Kingsbury made an emphasis to get Samuel involved, and he has established a good connection with Daniels after McLaurin missed a lot of time in training camp. A positive, at least for McLaurin, is that he did not face any restrictions regarding his snap count and routes. The star receiver started slow last season as he built rapport with Daniels, and should be expected to bounce back against an exploitable Green Bay secondary. McLaurin has faced the Packers three times in his career and has put up strong numbers, catching 16 of 27 targets for 252 yards and three touchdowns. He should be viewed as a mid-range WR2 with upside in a projected high-scoring Week 2 matchup against the Packers.

Tuesday, September 9, 1:04 AM

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson had 44 receiving yards on four catches and a touchdown in a 27-24 win against the Bears. Jefferson earned a team-high seven targets, but was unable to get touches early in the game as quarterback J.J. McCarthy struggled. The offense started moving the ball better and sustained some drives in the second half. Jefferson caught a laser beam from McCarthy for a 13-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Jefferson uncharacteristically dropped a pretty well-placed ball from McCarthy on a deep over, although McCarthy was a tad late. There should be better days for Jefferson as he and McCarthy continue to build rapport and gain more reps together. He is still locked in as one of the three best wide receivers in fantasy football.