Who Should I Start? Troy Franklin or Jaylin Lane

Monday, October 6, 6:39 PM

Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin falls to the third option for Broncos quarterback Bo Nix while facing the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5. He caught three of five targets for 35 yards in Sunday's 21-17 win over the Eagles. Courtland Sutton and Evan Engram were first and second on the team with 10 and six targets. While Franklin has seemed to be on the field the second most out of any of the receiving group, the 22-year-old has been underwhelming for fantasy lineups since his explosive outing in Week 2. With Broncos head coach Sean Payton preferring taller wide receivers, this could be one of the primary reasons Franklin has been on the field more than anyone else. Still, he will need to capitalize on his opportunities more frequently before he can be trusted in fantasy lineups. Franklin is a boom or bust FLEX option in a plus matchup against the New York Jets in Week 6.

Saturday, October 4, 9:18 AM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Jaylin Lane should continue to occupy a larger role against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5. Teammates Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) and Noah Brown (groin) remain sidelined for Sunday's game, leaving Lane in line to handle the No. 3 receiver role behind Deebo Samuel Sr. and Chris Moore. In the same role last week, Lane caught two of three targets for 18 yards on a 44 percent snap share. He also fumbled twice, but both loose footballs were recovered by Washington. While Lane appears third in the pecking order behind Samuel and Moore, he'll also have to compete with Zach Ertz, the overall TE11 in PPR leagues, and Luke McCaffrey, the young receiver who has scored a touchdown in each of his last two games. Coming off a contest with a sub-50 percent snap share in an offense where targets remain relatively hard to come by, Lane is nothing more than a low-end WR4 in deeper leagues. He can be benched or left on waivers in most formats.