Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Garrett Wilson

Wednesday, May 1, 2:04 PM

The San Francisco 49ers were engaged in trade talks involving wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel leading up to the draft, but the team elected not to trade either of their star receivers, with all signs pointing toward both being on the 2024 roster. Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and the assumption was that he'd be the odd man out after the team paid Samuel and other star players. Samuel still has two years left on the deal he signed before the 2022 season. San Fran has been to at least the NFC Championship game in four of the last five seasons, and losing Aiyuk or Samuel would almost certainly make the team worse in 2024. The 49ers can afford to keep both this year, but an Aiyuk extension would likely reduce his $14.124 million salary cap number for 2024. Samuel's fantasy value would have likely taken a hit with a move out of the Bay Area.

Monday, January 8, 12:17 PM

New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (neck, elbow), who suffered a neck injury in the Week 18 win over the New England Patriots in the regular season finale on Sunday, said he is fine. Wilson also said he doesn't think he needs surgery for an elbow injury that he dealt with all year. The 23-year-old was believed to have suffered a head injury when he took a hard hit in Sunday's contest, but he avoided any kind of serious injury and will have a normal offseason as he heads into his third NFL season. Despite losing quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a torn Achilles in Week 1, Wilson finished with 95 catches for 1,042 yards and three touchdowns in 2023. His 168 targets ranked fourth among all wideouts. With more stability under center hopefully in 2024, the sky is the limit for Wilson.