Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or Deebo Samuel

Sunday, January 7, 5:35 PM

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen caught two of his three targets for 12 yards in a 9-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 18. Thielen was quiet in the season finale, although his 12 receiving yards were good enough for second-most on the team on an afternoon where Bryce Young only threw for 94 yards. Thielen finishes his first season with the Panthers with 103 catches for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns. He's under contract with Carolina for two more seasons with a potential out after the 2024 campaign.

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.