Who Should I Start? Xavier Hutchinson or Jaylin Lane

Thursday, August 28, 7:44 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson has looked like the team's No. 3 in camp behind Nico Collins and Christian Kirk, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle observes. Alexander pegs rookie second-round pick Jayden Higgins at No. 4 and rookie third-rounder Jaylin Noel fifth in the pecking order. Hutchinson - who, like Higgins and Noel, went to Iowa State - was a sixth-round selection in 2023. The 25-year-old caught just 20 passes for 207 yards and no touchdowns over 32 games in his first two seasons. Despite that, Alexander reports that Hutchinson worked hard in the offseason to get better and has "quickly become one of C.J. Stroud's go-to targets and looks much improved from a season ago." That doesn't mean it'll translate during the regular season, but for now, it seems possible that Higgins and Noel could take a backseat to Hutchinson to begin the campaign.

Saturday, August 30, 5:41 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Jaylin Lane has caught the eye of many in training camp and preseason, including head coach Dan Quinn. Quinn has been encouraged by the rookie's continued ascent as both a receiver and returner. Lane has elite athletic traits with a 9.68 Relative Athletic Score and is dynamic with the ball in his hands. The Virginia Tech product has 4.34 speed with a 40-inch vertical, and the opportunity to run a decent amount of routes in a projected top offense. The coaching staff has been using him more frequently on the outside as opposed to the slot, most notably in the team's second preseason game against the Bengals. Two of his three receptions in the game were from the outside, and he showed nuance as a route runner, leveraging his speed to create separation in the intermediate range of the field. Lane is worth keeping on the watch list early on and as the season progresses in redraft leagues.