Who Should I Start? Tyler Lockett or Darius Slayton

Sunday, December 28, 7:59 PM

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tyler Lockett tallied two receptions and nine yards off his three targets during Sunday's 34-10 loss to the New York Giants in Week 17. The veteran wide receiver's fantasy day was saved by his reception in the back of the end zone on a quarterback Geno Smith (ankle) scramble late in the third quarter. Lockett was competing for targets with the fourth-round rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr., but the Raiders' offense struggled to sustain drives or keep a clean pocket against the Giants' defense. If rookie wide receiver Jack Bech (back), who was a late addition to the Week 17 injury report and was ruled out before kickoff on Sunday, Lockett should resume his part-time WR3 role in Week 18 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs' defense is a bottom-10 matchup for opposing wide receivers, keeping Lockett in deep-league WR4/Flex territory heading into the final game of the 2025 season.

Saturday, December 27, 12:09 PM

Across 13 games this season, New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton has recorded 31 receptions for 468 yards and a touchdown on 51 targets. Slayton is coming off one of his worst games of 2025 in Week 16, hauling in just one catch for eight yards on two targets against the Minnesota Vikings. However, the 28-year-old is now facing a far easier matchup in Week 17 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Entering the week, Las Vegas ranks 18th in the NFL in yards per pass attempt allowed (7.1). The Raiders have also ruled out star edge rusher Maxx Crosby (knee) with a knee injury, which should make life significantly easier on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. Before his Week 16 dud, Slayton had recorded at least 9.3 PPR fantasy points in four out of his last five games. He profiles as a low-end deep-league flex option for fantasy managers in Week 17.