Who Should I Start? Van Jefferson or Xavier Hutchinson

Tuesday, October 28, 4:56 PM

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Van Jefferson caught only one of his eight targets for six yards in their 38-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8. Jefferson saw a season high in targets in the game and tied with rookies Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike, but struggled to consistently connect with rookie quarterback Cameron Ward. The 29-year-old wideout was coming off his two best games of the season, filling for an injured Calvin Ridley (hamstring), catching four of six targets for 75 yards in Week 6 against the Cardinals, then catching all four targets for 41 yards in Week 7 against the Patriots. It's been a struggle for the entire Tennessee offense this season, but Jefferson figures to continue running close to a full number of routes while Ridley is out. He shouldn't be on fantasy radars for Week 9 against the Chargers.

Monday, October 27, 12:23 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson caught five of his six targets for a team-high 69 yards and a touchdown in the 26-15 win over the visiting San Francisco 49ers in Week 8 on Sunday, with both Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) sidelined by injuries. Hutchinson was tied for second on the team in targets and also tied for the team lead with his five receptions in a Houston offense that has suddenly become pass-happy in recent weeks. The 25-year-old's touchdown catch was a 30-yard connection with quarterback C.J. Stroud. Although Hutchinson is worth a look as a short-term WR replacement after his strong Week 8 performance, his role is likely to shrink again once one of Collins or Kirk returns, and the Texans have a shy-away matchup next week at home against the Denver Broncos. If you're going to pluck Hutchinson off the waiver wire this week, we wouldn't recommend spending much on him.