Who Should I Start? Terry McLaurin or Rome Odunze

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.

Sunday, September 14, 6:47 PM

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze is putting together a strong second season in the Windy City. He hauled in six receptions and scored a touchdown in the season opener. Odunze was able to top that performance this Sunday. He snagged seven of his 11 targets for 128 yards and two touchdowns in the blowout loss to the Detroit Lions. Odunze scored both touchdowns in the first half as the Bears tried to keep this a competitive game. It was an ugly loss for Chicago, but it's good to see Odunze and quarterback Caleb Williams building solid chemistry together. For Week 3, Odunze should be on the WR2 radar for their matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. A defensive unit that just got carved up for 450 yards by Russell Wilson.