Who Should I Start? Van Jefferson or Jaylin Noel

Saturday, August 23, 10:31 AM

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Van Jefferson recorded 102 yards and a touchdown on three catches in his team's 23-13 preseason victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Friday. Jefferson scored a 65-yard touchdown on a long catch-and-run in the second quarter. The 29-year-old is entering his first season in Tennessee after logging 24 catches for 276 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. Jefferson projects to open the season as the WR3 in Tennessee alongside veterans Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett. However, he may struggle to hold off the team's pair of fourth-round rookie wide receivers, Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike. Jefferson should be off the radar of fantasy managers in 2025.

Tuesday, October 7, 9:59 PM

Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Jaylin Noel had the best game of his young NFL career in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens, recording two catches for 13 yards and a touchdown on three targets. Noel has played a limited role so far this season, logging just five catches for 23 yards and a score on seven targets across five games. Noel has also yet to play more than 31% of the Texans' offensive snaps in any games and currently appears buried on the wide receiver depth chart behind Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, Jayden Higgins, and Christian Kirk. The 23-year-old Noel has some long-term appeal and could be a stash candidate in deep redraft leagues. Still, in the short term, he's a long shot to provide consistent fantasy production.