Who Should I Start? Curtis Samuel or Jamari Thrash

Friday, September 5, 1:53 PM

Wide receiver Curtis Samuel was a top-50 fantasy WR from 2022-23 with the Washington Commanders, but he fell off a cliff in his first year with the Buffalo Bills last season. After dealing with a nagging toe injury and managing just 31 catches, 253 receiving yards, and one touchdown in 14 games, Samuel will open 2025 against a high-end Baltimore Ravens defense on Sunday. Samuel is worth avoiding this week, especially after a hamstring issue shelved him for most of the summer. The 29-year-old is not on the injury report heading into Week 1, and considering his respectable track record, Samuel could get back on the fantasy radar if he starts this season looking more like he did in Washington. He came around a bit at the end of last season with two TD grabs in three playoff games, including a 55-yarder in a wild-card round win over the Denver Broncos.

Wednesday, July 2, 12:31 PM

ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi writes that Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jamari Thrash, who caught only three passes as a rookie in 2024 after being taken in the fifth round, took advantage of opportunities in an unproven receiver room during offseason workouts and established himself as a reliable option in the passing game. "He's had a really strong spring," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "He is here all the time working on his body. Very intelligent player, can line up in multiple positions which I think is valuable. And then he showed up, he's caught the ball well and you know the quarterbacks like how he gets open. He finds a way to get open versus zone, versus man." Since the 24-year-old isn't really an option on special teams, he's going to need to continue standing out in training camp and the preseason to win a spot on the 53-man roster heading into the regular season.