A.J. Brown or Puka Nacua? Kareem Hunt or Kyren Williams? James Conner or Chuba Hubbard? These are three of the four choices our staff will make in this week's Roundtable version of "Would You Rather..."
Welcome to Week 12 of the 2024 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.
This week's roundtable features these four topics:
- Rebound or Regroup? Declining Performers
- Tommy DeVito's Potential
- Performers on the Rise? Or False Alarm?
- Would You Rather... (see below)
Let's roll.
Would You Rather...
Matt Waldman: Pick two of these choices to explore from this list.
- Nick Westbrook-Ikhine or Brian Thomas Jr.?
- A.J. Brown or Puka Nacua?
- Kareem Hunt or Kyren Williams?
- James Conner or Chuba Hubbard?
Explain yourselves...
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine or Brian Thomas Jr.?
Andy Hicks: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has 15 catches on the season. Thomas has 42. The Jaguars receiver has 5 touchdowns and is on track to break 1000 yards in his rookie season.
The only thing the Titans receiver has in his favor is that he has five touchdowns as well -- on 15 receptions. That's an impossible strike rate to continue and 98-yard touchdowns don’t come around often and if this matchup is even close I would be surprised. Thomas by a large margin.
Waldman: I love your confidence. I hope you're confident in Mac Jones figuring things out. Thomas had 4 catches for 34 yards in Weeks 9 and 10 before earning 5 for 82 in Week 11 against the Lions.
Jones wasn't responsible for the Week 9 disaster, but I'd say gaining 59 percent of your quarterback's total passing yardage is also an impossible strike rate.
Hicks: I'll roll with the rookie, who is still likely the top option. Westbrook-Ikhine is not that in Tennessee.
Waldman: Agree.
Weisse: While I'm willing to chase touchdowns at running back, I'm not bought in on Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. He has been excellent since taking over for DeAndre Hopkins, thanks to those five touchdowns in six games. Neither he nor the Titan's offense is good enough to support that consistently.
Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. is fighting an injury. I'm sure this Week 12 bye feels like a much-needed port in the storm. Coming back in Week 13, he should feel better and see much more consistent volume than Westbrook-Ikhine.
Plus, he might get Trevor Lawrence back. A return to his top-10 form from Weeks 1 to 5 is not out of the question.
Sam Wagman: Brian Thomas Jr., despite the quarterback change, seems to finally be healthy from his rib injury. I would rather have him over Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for the rest of the season due to his terrific schedule.
Thomas gets the Texans, Titans (who have been susceptible to deep plays), Jets, and Raiders. These matchups should keep the Jaguars throwing and their star WR racking up the fantasy points.
A.J. Brown or Puka Nacua
Hicks: I think A.J. Brown is a better receiver than Puka Nacua, despite the Rams guy being a good young player. Brown is more polished and the bull receiver on his team.
The thing that settles it on the side of Brown is the tough schedule Nacua has over his next five games. Four of them are against top-10 pass defenses. Brown only gets one of those in his remaining seven matchups and several tasty ones, starting with the Rams and Ravens over the next two weeks.
Jeff Haseley: Give me Puka Nacua here. He will have a more consistent overall game with high reception totals week to week than A.J. Brown.
Jeff Bell: Puka Nacua over A.J. Brown for me as well. The Eagles have been able to employ a game plan that limits pass attempts and relies on Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts rushing ability.
Meanwhile, the Rams have topped 44 pass attempts in two of their last three games and have hit 290+ passing yards in 3 straight. The Eagles have just one game over 34 pass attempts -- a 38-attempt game in Week 3.
Hurts threw for 311 that game, the only game over 278 yards. Over the last seven games, Hurts has averaged 23 pass attempts and 204 yards.
Fantasy football is based on statistical accumulation. Nauca is eating from a much larger pie.
James Conner or Chuba Hubbard?
Haseley: I'll take Chuba Hubbard over the veteran Conner only because I feel like we're not far away from Conner getting nicked up and seeing a drop-off in usage. I see Carolina using a two-back approach with Jonathon Brooks but easing Brooks into the process.
Brooks is more of a 2025 guy than 2024. He may have some good moments, but Hubbard is who I would rely on at least for this season.
Joeseph Haggan: I am taking James Conner over Chuba Hubbard. Conner has recently seen touches ceded to Emari Demercado and Trey Benson, though it has not affected his output.
Conner only saw 12 carries last week but was targeted five times and had 80 receiving yards. His ability in the passing game and goal-line strength will keep his role as the lead back secure.
The fact that the Cardinals are in a legitimate fight for a playoff birth will keep his season alive.
Hubbard received an extension, but rookie Jonathan Brooks will look to eat into Hubbard's production. Unlike the Cardinals, the Panthers have zero playoff hopes. It would be pointless to continue this season, making Hubbard a workhorse.
Brooks should see a fair chunk of touches to finish out the season. He was the first running back selected and incredibly effective in college. Brooks will eat into Hubbard's work more than Benson and Demercado eat into Conner's.
Wagman: I would rather James Conner over Chuba Hubbard, mainly because of how friendly Conner's schedule is for the rest of the year. Aside from Week 13 against the Vikings, Conner gets the Seahawks twice, the Patriots, Panthers, and Rams, all above-average fantasy matchups.
Kareem Hunt or Kyren Williams?
Ryan Weisse: This one feels kind of easy for me. Hunt is a 29-year-old running back about to enter a timeshare with Isiah Pacheco.
Williams has no competition for carries and is in a lull due to a lack of touchdowns. However, even in this lull, he is still a top-20 running back in fantasy.
When Williams starts scoring again, he's a top-5 back. Hunt has played well but won't see near the volume he's been getting with Pacheco back.
Waldman: Confident, eh? No worries that the Chiefs will save Pacheco for the playoffs and limit his touches because the ankle might be "Tony Pollard 2023 healthy" as opposed to "Tony Pollard 2024 healthy?"
No concerns about the diminutive Williams wearing down?
Weisse: Confident on both counts.
Waldman: Just checking.
Haggan: I am also taking Kyren Williams over Kareem Hunt. Williams is a workhorse in Los Angeles. Williams" volume of rushing attempts has not dipped, though his usage in the passing game is spotty. He also has not scored a rushing touchdown in four games. It would be hard to think Williams stays out of the endzone for the remainder of the year.
In Hunt's case, his volume will shrink. The Chiefs will be getting back Isaiah Pacheco soon. Pacheco has dominated touches in Kansas City when healthy. I do not think Hunt will disappear, but his role is likely more like during his last two years in Cleveland, primarily as a pass-catching back.
Bell: Kyren Williams over Kareem Hunt for me as well. Before the Bills game, I envisioned a Chiefs win that would have allowed them to play cautiously with their starters down the stretch.
Now, the Bills are a half-game back and have the head-to-head tiebreaker, and the pressure is on. Isiah Pacheco could have been treated with kids gloves, but with no margin for error, the Chiefs should look to get their starter back involved.
Waldman: Thanks for reading. Check out the links below for all of this week's roundtable topics:
- Rebound or Regroup? Declining Performers
- Tommy DeVito's Potential
- Performers on the Rise? Or False Alarm?
- Would You Rather...
Good luck!