Ja’Lynn Polk and Allen Lazard will each be playing in the New England Patriots and New York Jets’ showdown on Thursday Night Football this week. Between the two wide receivers, which is the better start for fantasy football managers? We use our start/sit optimizer, consensus rankings, and stats to break it down.
Should You Start Allen Lazard or Ja’Lynn Polk This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Lazard is the player to start. His projected 6.3 points include a projection of two receptions, and 31 receiving yards. Although not a big stat line, that still outperforms, narrowly, the consensus projection for Polk (6.2 points).
My ranking for the two wide receivers aligns with the consensus because — although neither is the No. 1 wide receiver on their respective teams — Lazard’s history with Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers makes him a more comfortable choice for fantasy managers.
Allen Lazard Fantasy Outlook This Week
Lazard had a brilliant performance in Week 1, finishing with six receptions (on nine targets) for 86 yards and two scores. In terms of fantasy, he finished with 26.9 points, the highest-scoring game of Lazard’s career.
But he came back to earth last week, managing just two receptions (on four targets) for 11 yards and no touchdowns. His 3.1 fantasy points in Week 2 marked the seventh time in his last nine games he was held under five points.
So fantasy managers are right to wonder just which Lazard will show up on Thursday night against the Patriots. But while Garrett Wilson is the clear No. 1 wide receiver on the Jets, Lazard should still get plenty of attention from Rodgers until Mike Williams can show that he’s fully recovered from last season’s ACL injury.
It’s worth noting that although Williams only has one reception on the season. He was on the field for 37 offensive snaps last week, and according to Jets head coach Robert Saleh, wants even more playing time.
But with a short week, I doubt of Williams will be ramped up more for Week 3, allowing Lazard to continue to be the Jets’ No. 2 target out wide.
Ja’Lynn Polk Fantasy Outlook This Week
A rookie second-round pick, Polk leads the Patriots wide receivers in fantasy scoring. But at 10.8 total fantasy points, that isn’t saying much about the New England offense.
Still, Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett desperately needs a wide receiver to step up. Perhaps Polk can be that guy.
Polk has been on the field consistently for New England so far — 54% of the offensive snaps in Week 1, 60% of the snaps in Week 2 — but he hasn’t been targeted very often. However, he did get three looks in Week 2, a positive step after a single-target debut.
Polk was able to come away with two receptions last week, one of which went for his first NFL touchdown reception.
On a team that appears to be very weak at wide receiver, Polk has been the most productive so far. And there was an improvement from Week 1 to Week 2, it’s not out of line for fantasy managers to expect even more improvement in Week 3.