Who Should I Start? Trey Palmer or Jacob Cowing

Friday, December 27, 9:12 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Trey Palmer has moved into the third wideout role heading into the Week 17 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. The Bucs are without Sterling Shepard (foot, hamstring) for Sunday's game, which means Palmer should get more looks. Palmer hauled in two of his four targets for 31 yards during last week's loss to the Dallas Cowboys. A majority of his playing time came after Shepard exited the contest, so it might've been a bigger night if he had played the whole game. Regardless, it's going to be tough to trust Palmer for fantasy purposes. He hasn't done much this season and isn't guaranteed a ton of targets with Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan both healthy. Possibly, Palmer could offer desperation flex value in deep leagues for Week 17.

Friday, June 13, 12:14 PM

The Athletic's Matt Barrows writes that one of the themes among coaches and players this spring was that nobody took better advantage of the offseason than San Francisco 49ers second-year wide receiver Jacob Cowing. The 24-year-old was selected 135th overall (fourth round) last year but had a minimal role, catching just four passes for 80 yards in 15 games (zero starts). However, he trained with quarterback Brock Purdy and receiver Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) early in the offseason and had a prominent role during spring practices. It helped that Pearsall, Brandon Aiyuk (knee) and Jauan Jennings (calf) were sidelined, but it's notable nonetheless. Cowing has great speed and is doing a better job of maintaining it throughout his cuts and breaks. He's good with the ball in his hands and could be a nice little gadget player in 2025, although it's unlikely to amount to much fantasy value.