Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Bijan Robinson

Sunday, December 22, 11:26 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. finally broke out of a five-game slump during a 29-17 defeat to the Dolphins in Miami on Sunday. Samuel Sr. caught seven of a co-team-high nine targets for 96 yards and a touchdown. He added five rushing attempts for 25 yards. Samuel Sr. looked angry and determined with his touches for the first time in weeks, scoring his 16-yard touchdown by running through three defenders. It's probably too little, too late for Samuel Sr.'s fantasy managers who suffered through five consecutive weeks of sub-five-point half-PPR performances, but anyone still rostering Samuel Sr. now has to at least consider him for a start in Week 17 coming off his most productive game of the season. San Francisco gets the offensive powerhouse Detroit Lions in Santa Clara on Monday night, which should force the 49ers into a pass-heavy game script, with a similar amount of carries to Sunday if rookie running back Isaac Guerendo (foot, hamstring) misses another game.

Sunday, December 22, 5:54 PM

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson tallied 94 yards and two touchdowns on 22 attempts during their victory over the New York Giants. He brought in both of his targets for nine yards. Both of Robinson's scores came from within the five yard line. With the Falcons having a substantial lead throughout the afternoon, Tyler Allgeier did most of the work in the final quarter. However, Robinson continued to showcase his elite efficiency averaging a solid 4.3 yards per carry. Entering Week 16, Robinson had averaged 4.6 yards per attempt over his past three contests. The former first-round selection has now eclipsed 90+ rushing yards in each of his past four contests and has found the back of the end zone four times over this span. Fantasy managers should continue to view Robinson as an elite RB1 heading into a Week 17 tilt against the Washington Commanders who just surrendered 150 rushing yards to Saquon Barkley.