Who Should I Start? Curtis Samuel or Russell Gage Jr.

Friday, August 15, 12:30 PM

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel (hamstring) will be limited in the team's training camp practice on Friday, according to Bills beat writer Maddy Glab. Samuel should be ready for the start of the regular season in three weeks, but for fantasy purposes, he's not even in RotoBaller's top 100 receivers. The 29-year-old was barely heard from in 2024 in his first year in Buffalo, catching 31 of his 46 targets for 253 yards and one touchdown in 14 regular-season games (two starts). There's no reason to believe that he'll have a bigger role this season, and he's currently competing for a depth role with Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore behind Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman. With the Bills offense spreading things around, it's highly unlikely that Samuel is going to be on the fantasy radar in most leagues in 2025.

Sunday, August 3, 11:01 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Russell Gage has "run some really crisp routes" in training camp practices and has drawn the praise of quarterback Brock Purdy, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic. The veteran wideout has been forced into a more prominent training camp role as a result of injuries to San Francisco receivers Brandon Aiyuk (knee), Jauan Jennings (calf), and Jacob Cowing (hamstring). Gage last appeared in an NFL game in 2022 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 74 career games, he's recorded 244 catches for 2,491 yards and 14 touchdowns. Gage is probably still a long shot to make an impact in fantasy this season, but he could earn some playing time early in the season if San Francisco continues to deal with injuries in their wide receiver room.