Who Should I Start? Velus Jones Jr. or Isaac TeSlaa

Thursday, April 30, 6:01 AM

Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa put himself onto fantasy radars by scoring six touchdowns on only 16 receptions as a rookie, and while that rate is wholly unsustainable, he offers a different archetype to the Lions' receiver room and should see continued scoring opportunities in his second season. Over 38% of TeSlaa's targets came within the 20-yard line in 2025, and while some of that was a byproduct of tight end Sam LaPorta missing eight games, at 6'4" and 217 pounds with a verified 39.5" vertical, the 2025 third-round pick offers an enormous mismatch over smaller DBs and could continue to carve out a role as a jump ball specialist. While touchdowns alone will never match the fantasy predictability of sheer volume, TeSlaa's opportunities will be foreseeably capped in an offense with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, and a healthy LaPorta, but if he can continue to convert targets into touchdowns at an above-average rate, he'll have his usable moments and is worth a dynasty stash as RotoBaller's WR86.