Who Should I Start? Zay Flowers or Ricky Pearsall

Monday, May 5, 12:22 PM

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that wide receiver Zay Flowers (knee) ended up not needing surgery for his knee this offseason. Flowers sprained his right knee in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns and wasn't able to play in either of the team's postseason games as a results. The 24-year-old former 22nd overall pick in 2023 out of Boston College should now be fully ready for the start of the 2025 season this fall, but we'll keep a close eye on his progress once training camp gets underway in late July. Flowers earned Pro Bowl recognition in 2024 in his second year in the league after catching 74 passes for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns on 116 targets over 17 games (15 starts). He has been the team's WR1 since being drafted in the first round and has plenty of elusiveness and speed, but he's more of a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 in fantasy in a run-first offense.

Sunday, January 5, 10:47 PM

San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall followed last week's breakout game with another strong showing in Sunday's 47-24 Week 18 loss to the Cardinals in Arizona. The Arizona native caught six of eight targets for 69 yards, including a six-yard touchdown grab on a contested slant pattern from backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs. Pearsall, who started his 49ers career on a terrifying note -- being shot in the chest during an armed robbery attempt -- had an up-and-down year once he debuted in Week 7. Pearsall produced four fantasy-useful performances in 2024 but seven in which he was held below six half-PPR points. With momentum and the validation of his first-round pedigree this season, Pearsall could be an intriguing late-round fantasy pick in 2025 depending on the health of Brandon Aiyuk's knee, and if Pearsall can move past Jauan Jennings and/or Deebo Samuel Sr. in the 49ers' hierarchy.