Who Should I Start? Tyler Lockett or Matthew Golden

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.

Tuesday, February 17, 9:14 AM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden had a disappointing first year in the NFL in 2025 after he was taken with the 23rd overall pick out of Texas. The 22-year-old caught 29 passes for 361 yards and no touchdowns in 14 regular-season games on just 44 targets. It was surprising that he had so few targets, especially with tight end Tucker Kraft tearing his ACL in Week 9. The Athletic's Matt Schneidman expects Golden "to be a much bigger part of the game plan next season" in his sophomore season. It would be premature to expect Golden to be above Christian Watson or Jayden Reed in the pecking order, but Schneidman "wouldn't hesitate to use him over Dontayvion Wicks." Romeo Doubs is expected to depart in free agency, opening up a big role in the passing attack for Golden. Fantasy managers in dynasty/keeper leagues shouldn't sell low on him, and he could end up being a nice value pick in redraft fantasy leagues this fall.