Rookie wide receivers can be extremely hit or miss. They can have monster games that show their potential, and then the next game barely put up any stats. As much as it can frustrate coaches, it also frustrates fantasy football managers.
That inconsistency can make it tough to figure out which receiver to play. On Sunday, two rookies — Jordan Addison and Rashee Rice — will be counted on by their teams to put up numbers. With that in mind, which one of these two rookie receivers should be in your lineup?
Should You Start Jordan Addison or Rashee Rice This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, our Consensus Rankings say that Rice is the player to start. His projected 10.9 points include four receptions and 51 yards. That doesn’t seem like a big stat line, but it outperforms the consensus projection for Addison (10.8 points).
Since Justin Jefferson suffered an injury three games ago, Addison has become more involved in the passing game. He has been especially good in the last two games, with seven catches in each game. Addison had 123 yards against the 49ers, and then followed that up with 82 last week against the Packers. He has five CDs this year, including at least one in each of the last four games.
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The Vikings suffered a devastating injury last week, though, as Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles and is out for the year. With that injury, rookie Jaren Hall will be the quarterback against the Atlanta Falcons. Hall went 3-of-4 with 23 yards in the game against the Packers. The matchup against the Falcons is a tough one for a rookie quarterback, as Atlanta is currently eighth against the pass, allowing 194.6 yards.
The team did acquire Joshua Dobbs at the trade deadline, but he won’t be ready to go for a while.
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off one of their worst offensive performances in the Patrick Mahomes era. They were able to score only nine points in the 24-9 loss. The talk all year has been the issues with the Chiefs’ wide receiver group, and it was not great this last weekend.
If there has been one receiver who has consistently shined this year it has been the rookie, Rice. The former SMU star has 30 catches for 361 yards and three touchdowns this season, and he’s continued to get better each week. He has at least four catches and 56 yards in the last three games, emerging as Mahomes’ No. 1 WR target.
The matchup against the Dolphins is getting a lot of hype, and it should be a high-scoring game. The Miami pass defense is ranked 16th (221.5 yards), but they’ve struggled against high-powered offenses Buffalo and Philadelphia in blowout losses.
What made it so surprising that the Chiefs’ offense struggled last weekend is because it rarely happens. Mahomes has shown the ability to not let one bad week turn into two. With that in mind, the Optimizer is right and Rice is the play. Look for the rookie to have a solid game and to flirt with his first career 100-yard day.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!