Who Should I Start? Xavier Hutchinson or Chimere Dike

Friday, September 5, 10:57 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson earned more playing time with a big training camp, and he could have a chance to secure a bigger role moving forward since the team will be without Christian Kirk (hamstring) for Week 1. Hutchinson finished last season with four catches for 52 yards in the playoff loss to the Chiefs, but the sixth-round pick from 2023 only has 20 catches for 207 receiving yards and no touchdowns in 32 games over his first two seasons. In camp, Hutchinson was operating as the team's third receiver behind only Kirk and Nico Collins, working ahead of rookies Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins. Without Kirk, he could have a chance to step up in Week 1 if the rookies aren't ready, even though he's in a tough matchup on the road against the Rams. He's the WR86 in RotoBaller's Week 1 rankings, so he's still a deep sleeper but does bring upside worth watching.

Saturday, August 30, 5:53 PM

Tennessee Titans rookie wide receiver Chimere Dike will begin the season as the team's punt returner, according to Titans General Manager Mike Borgonzi. Dike was an experienced return man in college at Florida and has reportedly looked good in practice. The rookie will have a tough time earning a heavy amount of snaps on offense early on, but he can be impactful on special teams. He earned two snaps with the starters in the team's last preseason game in the place of Van Jefferson. The fourth-rounder likely projects to be the primary backup to Tyler Lockett in the slot, and could emerge if he is productive with his touches. He isn't draftable in redraft leagues at this moment.