Who Should I Start? Amari Cooper or Deebo Samuel

Thursday, July 25, 6:54 PM

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper recently restructured his deal with the organization. The superstar wideout will now earn $20 million during the upcoming season. That is a $5 million raise for the 30-year-old who is worth the money after what he showed last season. Cooper totaled 72 receptions for a career-high 1,250 yards and five touchdowns with the Browns last season. Cooper hinted that he'd like to remain with the team following the 2024 season. It makes sense that Cooper would like to stay after two straight successful seasons with the organization. They've rewarded him with a pay raise, so the organization clearly views him as a valuable asset. Fantasy managers should consider Cooper as a reliable WR2 heading into next season.

Thursday, July 25, 2:24 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. looked slimmer during spring drills than he had last year, and he appears to have lost even more weight for the start of training camp. "I think he looks great," head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the offense took its first snaps in 11-on-11 drills. "I thought he looked great in OTAs and minicamp. And I think he looks better today." The 49ers are practicing without two wideouts, Brandon Aiyuk and first-round pick Ricky Pearsall (hamstring), so Samuel's fantasy draft stock remains in a state of flux until a clearer picture emerges of how this receiving corps might look for the start of the regular season. The 28-year-old Pro Bowl wideout totaled 12 touchdowns in 15 appearances in 2023, placing second at his position in PPR fantasy points per route run (0.67) and first in fantasy points per target (2.74) over 89 targets, and he's being treated as a WR1 bet at his second-round ADP this summer.