Who Should I Start? Theo Johnson or Mason Taylor

Wednesday, December 31, 3:01 PM

New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson (illness) was one of three Giants players either sent home or absent from Wednesday's practice with an illness. Johnson missed the team's Week 17 win over the Raiders after not practicing at all with what is presumed to be the same illness. Fantasy managers still playing for a Championship in Week 18 will need to monitor New York's injury report, as Johnson and the Giants face a Cowboys defense in the season finale that has allowed 34 or more points in three of the last four games. With New York still competing under interim head coach Mike Kafka, their offense could continue to provide fantasy relevance at a time when many other teams are resting starters.

Wednesday, December 31, 4:34 PM

New York Jets rookie tight end Mason Taylor (neck) is not participating in Wednesday's practice, Zach Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports. Taylor has missed three consecutive games after suffering a neck injury in Week 14's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and is trending in the wrong direction to open the practice week ahead of the regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills. The rookie second-rounder has had a solid first campaign, snagging 44 of his 65 targets for 369 yards and a touchdown in 13 games. The 21-year-old tight end is likely to be held out again with the Jets having nothing to play for this weekend, setting up Jeremy Ruckert, Jelani Woods, and Stone Smartt to handle the tight end reps in Week 18. None of the three project to be relevant for fantasy purposes.