Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Bryce Young

Friday, December 20, 11:40 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. will bring the least productive five-game stretch of his career into a Week 16 matchup in Miami on Sunday. He is averaging 3.3 half-PPR points over that stretch, including a 3.4-point performance last Thursday at home versus the Los Angeles Rams. Samuel Sr. reached a low point when he dropped an important 3rd-down pass in LA territory to a chorus of boos from the home fans. He'll have better days ahead -- he's certainly a better player than this -- but at this point, Samuel Sr. is untrustable in fantasy. In addition, Miami's tough pass defense has limited fantasy receivers to the second-lowest total in the league. Perhaps Samuel Sr. sees an increase in carries, with the 49ers down to their fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-string running backs due to a deluge of injuries. It might not matter much, though, as he's only averaging 2.7 yards per carry this year with one rushing touchdown, way back in Week 1. He's projected as a WR4 this week, and most Samuel Sr. managers still in the fantasy playoffs probably benched him long ago.

Friday, December 20, 12:48 PM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that quarterback Bryce Young will start the final three games of the 2024 regular season. "Bryce is going to finish the season for us," Canales said. Young took a step back in the Week 15 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but the Panthers have no reason to go back to veteran Andy Dalton while out of playoff contention. The 23-year-old second-year signal-caller got off to a terrible start in 2024 and was benched after two games in favor of Dalton, who gave the club a spark initially. Eventually, Dalton got injured, forcing the Panthers to go back to Young. In his last seven starts, Young has taken a step forward, completing 60.6% of his passes for 1,492 yards, eight touchdowns and six interceptions while also running for two scores. Still, he turned the ball over four times last Sunday and has only one passing touchdown in each of the last six games.