Who Should I Start? Xavier Hutchinson or Tez Johnson

Monday, August 25, 11:20 AM

ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime projects Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson to open the season on the team's 53-man roster. A sixth-round pick in 2023, Hutchinson has recorded 20 catches for 207 yards and zero touchdowns across 32 career games for Houston. He's reportedly been rotating with second-round rookie Jayden Higgins as an outside receiver alongside Nico Collins and Christian Kirk when the Texans line up in three-receiver formations. Hutchinson is unlikely to block Higgins from full playing time for the entire season, but Hutchinson could take snaps and targets away from the highly-touted rookie early in the year.

Monday, August 25, 10:48 AM

After catching 12 passes and a touchdown in his two preseason appearances, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' rookie wide receiver Tez Johnson has put himself in a good position to make the team's initial 53-man roster. If he does, he will make history as the lightest NFL player to have ever weighed in at the Combine. Officially listed at 165 pounds on the Buccaneers' website, he tipped the scales at only 154 pounds when he weighed in at the Combine in February. Johnson tested slower than expected, causing him to fall to the seventh round of the NFL draft. However, throughout training camp and into the preseason, he has displayed the lightning quickness that made him a matchup nightmare in college. He is listed as the team's 6th wide receiver in ESPN's latest projection, so his fantasy value will be limited at best even if he makes the team.