Who Should I Start? Terry McLaurin or Rashid Shaheed

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.

Saturday, September 13, 1:42 AM

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed was the team's third-most productive pass catcher in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, finishing with six receptions for 33 yards on nine targets. His longest catch was just 17 yards, but his speed and explosiveness give him real big-play potential. With Kellen Moore's offense passing aggressively, Shaheed could turn his volume into a breakout performance and projects as a WR4 with upside this week against the 49ers.