Who Should I Start? Curtis Samuel or Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Saturday, January 17, 1:25 PM

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel (elbow), who was officially activated from Injured Reserve on Friday, will be active for the Divisional Round on Saturday against the hosting Denver Broncos, according to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe. Samuel was listed as questionable on the final injury report on Thursday. The 29-year-old will be active for the first time since Week 11 due to an elbow injury. Even without Gabe Davis (knee) and Tyrell Shavers (knee), though, Samuel will probably be limited in what he can do after such a long layoff, making him avoidable in fantasy football playoff leagues. During the regular season in just six games played for Buffalo, Samuel caught just seven of his nine targets for 81 yards and one touchdown. He never played more than 50% of the offensive snaps in a single game.

Monday, February 16, 5:56 PM

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. had an underwhelming rookie season, catching just 10 of his 30 targets for 135 yards through 15 games. There was plenty of preseason hype about the Tennessee product, so it was frustrating to see that he never really produced at a significant level. Part of the blame falls on Thornton himself, but we can also attribute some of it to the poor state of the Raiders' offense. Quarterback Geno Smith struggled during his first year with the team, amassing 17 interceptions and just 19 touchdowns. All signs point to Vegas drafting college football standout Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick, which would put the offense in a better state and potentially lead to more upside for Thornton. He could also pick up some additional targets with veteran Tyler Lockett headed for free agency. The 23-year-old is a very intriguing buy-low candidate in dynasty leagues after his quiet season. Dynasty managers may have already grown impatient with Thornton, meaning that he could be acquired at minimal cost.