Who Should I Start? Xavier Hutchinson or Irvin Charles

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.

Friday, March 28, 9:10 PM

The New York Jets re-signed exclusive-rights free-agent wide receiver Irvin Charles (knee) to an undisclosed deal on Friday. Charles will return to the Jets in 2025, although it's highly unlikely he'll be ready for training camp this summer or the start of the regular season after tearing his ACL in Week 14 of last year. The 27-year-old former undrafted free agent appeared in 13 games (no starts) in 2024 and was unable to catch his only target on offense. In his two NFL seasons, he has yet to catch a pass on just two targets over 25 games (no starts), mainly contributing on special teams. Charles logged 212 special-teams snaps last year and will likely resume a similar role at some point next year when he's cleared from his knee injury. He's nowhere near the fantasy radar.