Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Christian Watson

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.

Saturday, December 21, 4:45 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson has been the Packers' primary downfield option in recent weeks and looks to break off some long gains as the Packers host the New Orleans Saints in Week 16. Watson's game is well-known at this point for fantasy: break off a long gain or two and hope he gets into the end zone. With two 100-yard games in his past five contests, Watson has been a solid fantasy option. When he hasn't, he's been hard to stomach when in lineups. With Romeo Doubs returning last week from concussion protocol, that adds another weapon and spreads out targets even more for the other remaining pass-catchers like Watson, Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft, and others. With Watson being a clear boom-or-bust option in fantasy football lineups, he's more of a volatile flex option despite a great matchup against the Saints in Week 16.